Ordinarily Extraordinary
by Mr Wang 330
Summary: It's hard to gain respect from your comrades. Even from Squad 7. A recruit recently transferred soon realizes this, as he soon joins Squad 7 in another war story of friendship, hate, betrayal, love, and tragedy. Just a story of another ordinary soldier...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. This is my first crack at a Valkyria Chronicles story. This game is just... awesome. Please agree! Anyway, this is my story for my OC, or Original Character. This isn't perfect and there may be a mistake or two every once in a while relating to the story line and canon, as well as stuff according to the bio. Also, this is a big flashback chapter, just to give background. I don't want this story to be a fail, so tell me what you think, please.**

**Note: I had a re-write. I felt this chapter was too rushed, so I hope you find this one better. Chapter 2 will be up in a couple of days.**

* * *

**Sometimes, people need to go through some trial and error to succeed. There's always a couple obstacles from our path. For one soldier on the Gallian Army during its time of war. he's been met with a few too many obstacles and errors. But, he, as well as every other man and woman in the Gallian Militia, is an ordinary person, bestowed with extraordinary skills and unmatched loyalty to his or her country. Right now, this soldier is yet to find his true potential. This is his story...**

At the outskirts of Randgriz, the great capital of Gallia, there lied a soldier, dreaming of things to come. Peter Rothchild was reflecting on the events that had just transpired over the last few weeks.

"A lots changed in just a month," Peter thought.

***Flashback***

Lying in the grass and taking a deep breath of the fresh country air, Peter Rothchild sat currently enjoying the environment. Peter was a young man, aged 19. A common age for a Bruhl Town Watchman. Not too old. Not too young. Just right. He had short brown frazzled hair, underneath his blue hunting cap he wore on head. He was just a country guy, and proud of it. He looked at the soothing and calming sight of the windmills off in the distance. His basking in the country almost distracted him from the real reason why he came out here to the first place. He soon saw his next target. Peter grabbed his rifle and took aim. He slowly aimed toward the head of the creature, waiting for a chance to hit it, an with it, his pay. He squeezed the trigger, and the animal fell over with a light thud. Quite pleased with himself, he took his survival knife, and cut off any unnesecary load, and put the creature's body in a large sack. Peter was just making his way back to Bruhl from his regular hunting duty. He just bagged his latest quarry, a rather decent sized deer, that will no doubt sell for a good deal of money to the butcher, not to mention provide he and his mother with a decent sized meal. Soon after, he'd go back to being a watchman for the Bruhl Partol. Helping out the people, having your own gun, putting food on the table, and being in a nice small country town where everybody knows your name... yeah, this was the life.

* * *

As he walked through the town, Peter was greeted by the town's smiles and hellos. Being the local hunter and all is an important job, and it's nice for the people to recognize that. Peter just can't stand city folk. He made his way to the butcher, got his pay, and some venision to boot. He then went to the old Town Watch station, where he often spent time at, when he had nothing better to do. He soon saw his friend, Daniel Kappelhoff.

"Dan, hey what's up?" Peter cheerfully greeted.

"Hey man. Long time, no see, eh?" Dan replied.

"Hey, I was busy hunting, alright? It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. Anyway, you hear anything from the watch?"

"Tough? For you? Dude, you're like... one of the best shots in Bruhl! Maybe THE best in the Town Watch!"

"Dan, I'm really not all that great. I'm pretty sure Alicia is the best shot in the Watch. I'm actually a bit horrible under pressure. Not to mention a bit clumsy. Remember the time I almost shot Jean at that one time during drill practice?" Peter said, rather embarrased at recalling that fiasco.

"Yeah, I remember that. Good times."

"But you still didn't answer my question. Did the Watch report anthing new today?" Peter said, getting slightly annoyed.

"Well, the Watch, as well as intelligence from nearby military outposts, say the Imps are coming to invade. Today or tomorrow, no less."

"What? Those damn Imperials don't learn, do they? You don't think the Imps are going to really do it... right? Just a bluff?" Peter said, nervousness rising immensely in his voice. He heard the rumors, but could they be possibly true?

"I'm not sure what to believe any more."

Suddenly an alarm blared through the town. The Watchmen started murmuring to each other, before having a sudden realization of what was happening, and they evacuated the area, shouting things to the towns people.

"What the hell is that? I forgot what that alarm meant," Dan said casually amongst the confusion and choas going over a single blaring sound.

"That's the evacuation alarm... My god... could it be actually happening...?" Peter said, fear evident in his voice.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Dan said, rather uncaringly.

* * *

Peter rushed out to see the Town Watch yelling out to people, telling them to evacuate. That they had 24 hours or less till the Imperials arrive. So it's true. The war is starting. He saw people, trying to pack their entire lives in just mere hours. It just happened so fast. How could the Watch just keep this from them? Even from their own officers? Things just seemed to not make sense anymore in a mere couple of minutes. He didn't know, but he doubted it would really matter now. Demanding answers, Peter rushed back inside the station. Several senior officers were at the conference room, having heated discussions.

"We need Gallia's military to come now! When are they expected to arrive?" asked one of the Watchmen.

"I'm not sure. They've got some issues being taken care of, and they expect delays. Maybe... Optimistically, tomorrow," replied another.

"Tomorrow?! Our citizens will be dead by then! We need to act fast! I will not stand for our citizens to be the first casualties of this war!"

"Er... Excuse, but what's going on?" Peter timidly interrupted.

"Peter! Get the hell out, now! This is none of your concern," the head of the Town Watch yelled.

Peter cowarded a bit, before stepping up. "Sir, I am a Watchman too. It is our duty to protect Bruhl, and I believe I have a right to know what the hell is going on!"

There was more conversing between the guards, before they agreed.

"Fine, but we know very little as it is. Randgriz has recently contacted us, saying that Imperial forces are on their way. It was an invasion. They were following this lead for a week now, but they waited until now to tell us."

"That's bullshit!" Peter shouted.

"I know. They claimed that they wanted proof of such a force, before telling us. They want proof? They'll get proof, when the blood of our citizens is on their hands!" the officer shouted.

"That's enough! Peter, I know you have a lot of questions, but please... leave us. We need to discuss these matters in private. Help guide the citizens in the evacuation effort," another Watchman said.

"How do you expect to evacuate a whole town in a day?" Peter asked.

"We don't know..." he said honestly.

Peter felt the dark, forlorn atmosphere of the room, and decided it was for the best that he leave. He walked outside. For now, Peter was just directing traffic, both people and vehicles. Several questions still ran through his mind, and how come the report from Randgriz had to be so vague? His train of thought was interrupted by a feminine cry.

"Peter!"

Peter turned to see his friend, Susie Evans, run frantically over to him. She was another girl in the town watch, though something of a pacifist oddly enough. She probably joined just to help the people, in other ways than using a gun.

"Susie, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I... I think I saw a s...SPY!" she cried.

"What?!" Peter exclaimed.

"He's at Dabos Bridge! I told Alicia. She and another Watchman are there, but..."

"Susie, calm down. Stop worrying. They can handle it."

"But what if he's armed? I... I'm scared. Is there really going to be a war going on?" Susie said slightly shaking.

"Don't worry, Susie. Alicia, you, and everyone's going to be okay. I promise you," Peter said. He often found that he needed to comfort her, in times like this. Like brother of some sorts. Though nothing can describe the time when a war could possibly be impending. She nodded, as she watched Peter run over to the outskirts of town, where this "spy" was supposedly held.

* * *

After making his way around crowds of people, Peter managed to spot Alicia in the bushes a few hours later by the river.

"Alicia! Hey!" Peter yelled.

"Peter! God, what are you doing here? Never mind, just get over here!" Alicia said, trying to whisper loudly.

"What?!" he continued to yell.

"Keep your voice down, or shut the hell up! Do you want to alert the enemy? Get over here! God... I swear..."

Peter saw a man in a brown jacket sketching and writing stuff in a notebook. This no doubt is the would-be spy. He slowly crawled, being as stealthly as possible. He saw another Town Watchman accompanying Alicia.

"There he is. On three, we get him from behind... ready... one... two... three!"

The trio of Watchmen ran over. Alicia pointed her gun at the back of the man's head.

"Freeze! Raise your arm slowly, and turn around!" Alicia shouted. Completely caught off guard, the "spy" quickly complied. "We're from the Bruhl Patrol. What are you doing here?"

"Huh? I was just sketching the light trouts," he replied, as if not sure what's going on.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Alicia asked him.

"Er... is something wrong?" he asked dumbly.

"Show me your notebook," Alicia asked assertively.

The man hesitantly her the book. She looked inside, and Peter did as well, simply curious of what was happening.

"What code is this?" Alicia demanded.

"You don't know about light trouts? Every spring they swim upstream. The sketch was done, because those near Bruhl have a special pattern, plus today is especially warm!"

"Right... I'm confiscating this..." Alicia said, putting the book in her pocket.

"What?! You can't just do that!" the man shouted. Alicia promtly pointed her gun to shut him up.

Peter pulled the book from Alicia's pocket and inspected it. "Alicia, this guy's actually right. That patter is used to determine their pattern for-"

"Peter! Stop supporting the enemy! That's what he wants you to think! And give me that book back!" she said, snatching the book from his hands. Alicia ordered the two Watchmen to tie the spy up with some rope. Peter wasn't really paying any attention to the conversation after that. They walked toward the road leading to Bruhl. Overhearing a conversation, Peter hears the "spy's" name to be Welkin Gunther.

"Gunther... that sounds familiar," he thought.

They continued down the road, until suddenly, a couple shots were fired, and the watchman accompanying Alicia fell dead the the ground. Peter was confused, and was looking everywhere desparately for the shooters. Off in the distance, Peter could see a couple of soldiers clad in armor. There were three of them. Scouts from the look of it.

"Imperials, 10 O'clock!" Peter yelled. The three ducked behind a fence. Peter tried firing, but, he found his hands to be shaky, and for some reason, was unable to shoot. Peter tried desparately firing his gun, but when he pull the trigger, the shot misses horribly. He was "under pressure" so to speak. When he was extremely nervous, such as firing in the heat of a shootout, or impress a superior, Peter always found himself crack down when it came to firing a gun. He has recently become better at controlling it, though that didn't mean the problem was removed.

"Peter, what's your problem?" Alicia asked.

"I... I don't know!" Peter blurted, not knowing, nor caring enough to give an answer.

Alicia tossed the rifle from the dead Watchman over to Welkin, as he too helped join the fight against the Imps.

"Maybe this guy's not so bad," Peter thought. As soon as he thought it, he regrets it, as he sees Welkin take down an enemy scout. "Damn it! I get upstaged by a civilian?!" Peter thought, outraged.

Alicia, Peter, and this "Welkin" guy faught hard, and eventually came out on top.

"Er... Ms. Malchiott.... What do you want to do with the bodies?" Peter asked, eying the three dead Imperials, and the dead Watchman.

"Bury them..." she merely mumbled.

"Bury them? How the hell am I supposed to do that?! I have no shovel, or anything!" Peter said, surprised at her words. "We should be burning these Imps' bodies!" Peter wasn't really aware of how harsh and unccarring his words were, until they left his mouth.

Alicia merely mumbled something back, more to herself than to anyone else. The look she had was forlorn and sad... Peter wasn't used to seeing Alicia like that, though neither of them were exactly used to seeing people die before them.

"Uhhh.... Should I be going now?" Peter asked, unsure of what to do with himself at this point. Alicia merely nodded without bothering to look at him.

* * *

Peter ran back to Bruhl, only to see some of it already destroyed. The seige had begun. The twin mills Bruhl was famous for were now mere skeletons of themselves, as they were being bombarded by mortar. Already, he could hear screams of people.

"My god! They're here? Already? Son of a bitch!" he yelled. Storming through crowds of frenzied townspeople, he made his way to see some Town Watch being slaughtered by the more well-armed, well-trained soldiers of the Imperial Army. It was sickening, seeing the people you worked with dying, for their town, and they were killed for what? Money? Power? Resources? But of course, it had to be the Ragnite. Gallia had the greatest Ragnite resource in all Gallia. To think a multi-purpose mineral was worth more to some than that of human lives. Peter ran, giving covering fire along the way. He didn't know where he was exactly headed. Just instinct. The town was looking like a warzone, and Peter needed to act fast. He would once in a while shoot an enemy soldier with his not-so-trusty rifle. Mostly missing, but he was amazed when he could actually hit a soldier, and maybe even kill one. He'd soon realize his confidence was growing, slowly, but at a steady pace. Peter slowly realized that instinct was leading him to his house, where he and his mother reside. Peter busted the door down, and saw no one in the room. He shouted out for his mom, but no response. Some of the stuff, including a couple of photos and pictures were gone, but the place still looked mostly furnished. Peter hoped for the best, and prayed his mother be safe. Peter went to his room and grabbed a satchel, and put some of his personal affects in there. He'd need to pick the stuff wisely, as this was probably the last time he'd see them ever again. As he was walking out, Peter felt himself step on something, followed by a yelp. He looked down to see a foot, with the rest of the body hiding behind a curtain. Peter cautiously aimed the gun, and pulled the curtain away.

"Please, don't hurt me!" the figure begged.

He saw large, teary eyes respond to him. Relived, Peter was glad that it was only Susie.

"Susie, it's me! Peter! What are you doing in my house?"

"I... I was hoping to find you. Please, you must help me! There's shooting, people dying... I never should've the patrol This is hopeless!" she cried.

"Susie, I'm here now! Everything's going to be alright-"

"You say that all the time!" she interrupted. "Is there really any certainty to those words at this point?"

"I promise you. You're gonna make it out of here." Peter felt awful inside, because he was really unsure if he could really live up to those words.

"Are... are we going to get shot at?"

"Not if I shoot them first!" Peter said, in a cocky tone. Susie wasn't convinced just yet, but she had no other options to fall back on at the moment. To Susie, Peter was always a friend, almost like a big brother, who stood up for and protected her.

Peter and Susie tried running for cover, amidst the firing coming from both sides of the conflict. They always stayed behind sandbag walls, and from the cover of buildings. Along the way, Susie often had to hold Peter's hand. Not for guidance, but for comfort. At times Peter felt like he was guiding a child. But in the end, he wouldn't have it any other way. They navigated the town's complex, Peter taking a shot at any Imperials he could get his sights on. Susie had a pistol, though she was too timid to use it. Soon enough, Peter ran out of ammo, and Susie and Peter were pinned behing a sandbag wall.

"Peter, what are we going to do?!" Susie said in desparation.

"Susie, do you have any grenades or ammo? I'm all out of rifle rounds and grenades."

She shook her head. Peter cursed under his breath, and was all out of options. The only sort of offensive option he had was throwing bricks and rocks, and he doubted that'd get him anywhere.

"Damn... is this it? Are we screwed?" Peter asked aloud. Susie frowned at that comment, usually she giving up, before he would.

Just when he almost lost all hope, a blue tank busted through a wall. The tank bore the Gallian flag on it, and Peter couldn't help but cheer as the tank mowed down the foot soldiers with ease. Peter was filled with joy, as he saw the perfectly timed savior defeat the helpless Imperials. Even more shocking, was Alicia popping up from the hatch!

"What the hell? Alicia, where in the hell did you get that tank?" Peter said, dumbfounded.

"Long story, short: Our spy is not a spy, he is related to the great General Gunther, and he has access to a high-tech prototype tank," Alicia said quickly, while dispatching an Imp with her rifle. "Listen, there's no time to chat; Me and Welkin have to get to the Mill Plaza and save the town... or at least buy some time for the Watch and the citizens."

Alicia went back inside the tank, and the Gallian tank zipped away, rather fast.

"Wait! God damn it! Could we at least get a lift?" Peter asked, but to no avail. The tank moved away, firing its gun and canon. Since the tank came through, Alicia left a good clear way for Peter and Susie to follow through. Peter saw Susie get a little uneasy at the sight of the Imperial's, as well as the Town Watch's bodies littered on the streets. He merely kept hold of her hand, just hoping she'd not focus on it.

"Look!" Susie said.

With such luck, Susie found a supply truck, which Peter and Susie could make an escape. As Peter got on the driver's seat, he began wondering how to drive a car, since the need never really arised.

"Let's see, what does this stick do?"

He set the stick to "R" and he ended up going backwards.

"How 'bout this?"

He set it to "P" and he didn't move at all.

"What the hell is up with this freaking useless vehicle?!" Peter yelled in frustration.

Susie quickly set the stick the correct way, and Peter was able to drive forward with no problems.

"I swear to God... I can drive a freakin' tank, but yet, I can't drive a simple stick shift on a standard car..."

He started driving. It's a miracle the car had the keys inside, and that would've caused even more problems for Peter than he already had. He drove his way out the rear gates of Bruhl.

* * *

A lot was going through Peter Rothchild's mind at the moment. He worried for the sake of his mother, how Dan's doing, and where the hell that tank came from. But most of all, his favorite country town was now destroyed.

"My god... a city under seige already? In less than an hour... " Peter mumbled to himself.

"I hope Alicia is okay..." Susie said.

"I'm sure she is. If anyone can take on Imperials and live through it, it'd be her. Plus she had that Super-Tank. I've never seen such a thing. I bet it could take on a whole Imperial Armor Division."

"I hope so... where are we going?"

"The Gallian capital... Randgriz..." Peter said, as he saw a road sign, pointing the way.

"Why?"

"Hell, I don't even know. Join the militia maybe, who knows?" A lot was going through his mind right now. At the moment, Peter wouldn't want anything more than to get away from this conflict, but then again, he instantaneously harbored a newfound hatred of the Empire.

"Why would you join the militia?" she said. "I mean... won't you be fighting in the war? Getting shot at? Experiance Bruhl a hundred times worse?!" Susie continued.

"Because, a couple of hours ago, Europa War II just started, and right about now, my country needs me. Beside... We're officially refugees now. We'll need 'relief' and stuff." Peter said, just focusing on the now, rather than later.

***End Flashback***

"Private 1st Class, Peter Rothchild! Get your ass over here, now!"

Peter was broken from his trance, as he realized thevoice of his lieutenet shouting.

"Oh geez... I'm in deep shit..." Peter mumbled, knowing full well why he was being called. He ran over to meet Squad 3's leader for a "chat," or in other words, being chastised and getting chewed by a complete asshole. This wouldn't end well...

**Okay. That was chapter 1. After a re-write, I feel satisfied with my final result now, though I feel a couple touches are missing. However, that is for you, the reader, to decide. Also, in the Anime, Susie is a member of the Bruhl Town watch, so I put that element in there, just to give more character. If you have any requests, suggestions, and the like, please say so in review or PM. I know it's not much just yet, but please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everybody. Here comes the next chapter of Ordinarily Extraordinary. I'm actually surprised I received praise for taking elements from the anime, and incorporating them in. This chapter is more filled with original content, and even more original characters. There's not any anime content in this chapter, but I'll try my best to stay true to the anime in future chapters. I mainly went for a mix of the game, anime, and my own original stuff, as you'll soon see. I thank all who read, and I recently just posted another story, entitled, "You Make Me Smile." Ted/Marina lovers, or those who like a sweet VC fic, this is for you! Anyway here's chapter 2.**

Peter stood in the intimidating presence of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Herman Drake, the leader of Squad 3. Drake was a veteran of EW1 and very no-nonsense guy. He can be very strict, and pushes his troops very hardly. Time and again he has pushed his squad members near their breaking point. Everybody in the squad hates him, including the Sergeant, and he knows it. However, pushing his soldiers hardly has made Lt. Drake one of the best militia commanders in the Gallian military, and his skill was desperately needed when the war on the Empire started.

"Private First Class Peter Rothchild, reporting for duty, sir!" Peter stood attentively.

"Private Rothchild... Do you have any idea why I have just called you here?" Lt. Drake asked imposingly.

"Er... I have absolutely no clue," replied Peter, trying to feign ignorance.

"Well then... shall I remind you of what happened at Rosskva?"

* * *

**Yesterday**...

The men and women of Squad 3 were in the process of defending the northern border town of Rosskva that was said to be attacked by the Imperial invasion forces. The squad was being transported in a convoy of APCs, as well as a tank holding the militia commander, and among them, young Peter Rothchild lied in wait.

"So Peter... You ready for this?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Of course, Dan! With that victory back at Vasel, and with Squad 6 securing the neighbouring regions, there's no way we'll lose! The militia is on a role!" Peter said excitedly. He was glad his good friend shared his same enthusiasm.

"Well, don't get too cocky. Remember what happened back at that incident in Vasel? That one lone squad took back the whole bridge. Too bad that asshole Damon took all the credit. We'll need to work with as much efficiency as they did," Dan mentioned. "Plus, Squad 3 isn't the best squad. I mean, this is our third battle, but I think this one is the real deal. We've never really got a taste of war..."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Peter suggested. 'If you ask me, I just want this war to end, so we can all go back to Bruhl."

"I hear ya. I want the war to end as much as the next guy. But if we just finish this war quickly and get it overwith, the Empire will only be crippled, but not dead. We need to kill them all, because what's to stop them from making a new army, one even better than the guys we're facing now? We must have total victory!" Dan said.

Peter adjusted his blue hunting cap to look at Dan, face to face. "Geez, Dan. Is it me, or have you been getting a little bloodthirsty since you joined up for the militia?"

"I can't help it. Those sons a bitches attacked Bruhl. I saw innocent civilians dying, not to mention my friends. I hate those Imps. Every last one of them. You seem to be lucky, though. Your only friends were me, Susie, and Alicia. I don't know about Noce, but all your friends seemed to survive."

Peter adjusted his hat again, covering his eyes. "I'm almost too lucky. But then again, I'm not sure if I can say the same _after_ the war. I wasn't really that close to Noce, but he might be dead. I'm not sure. I know Susie joined the militia shortly after we got to Randgriz. She of all people... She hates fighting, but her parents made her go for some sort of family pride... I'm pretty sure Alicia's alive, and she was with that Gunther guy. He had a tank. If she stayed with him, then I'm sure she's okay. I don't know Dan. I sometimes can't handle the possibility of potentially losing all my other friends in this war, and I wasn't there to be with them..." Peter said rather sadly.

"Yeah... How are things with Susie? You still hanging out? I mean, before the war started?" Dan asked.

"God damn it, Dan! Why the hell do you, as well as all the people back at Bruhl always ask me that?! We're just friends..."

"Pete... You've been 'friends' with this girl for, what? Nine years? Ever since she came to Bruhl, you've been at her side most of the time."

"Dan, we don't see each other like that. She's like a sister to me. And I'm like a brother to her. It would be... awkward... to begin a relationship with her now," Peter said, nervously tugging at his town watchman's shawl that he wore all the time. "So... how's your relationship with Elizabeth?" Peter asked.

"Whoa, hold on a sec! That Imperial girl who just happens to be a Gallian citizen? What in the hell makes you think I like her? In case you hadn't noticed, I hate Imperials. Just because she was born here, doesn't mean crap. What if her loyalties suddenly change? What if she's a spy?" Dan quickly responded.

"You know, I'm sitting right next to you. It's not a very big APC, and I can hear everything you guys are saying," said Elizabeth, Squad 3's shock-trooper. Elizabeth was born from Imperial parents living in Gallia. She knows they were they were officers in the Empire's military, but she hasn't heard from them since the war started. Since she had grown up and lived here all her life, she considers herself to be Gallian, and chose to help out the militia, but since her arrival, she has found prejudice for being of Imperial descent, and has been accused of being a spy several times.

"Can it, Imp girl!" Dan quickly shot back. Frustrated, Elizabeth sighed and turned her head.

From there, it was rather silent in the armored vehicle. Tension between certain members of the squad, and the imending battle for the border town was building some extreme anxiety for some people, and they were getting a bit antsy.

"Rusty! How far are we from the destination?" Peter asked the driver.

"We're about another two miles away. And it doesn't look good. I can already see some smoke rising from the ground. The town already looks to be under attack!" said the squad's engineer.

The atmoshpere got even more tense, as some of the younger troops got more scared and nervous. From there, there was shouting, crying, and people even trying to get out of the moving vehicle.

"Calm down, poeple. This will truly be a test of all I, and Lt. Drake, have taught you. We've trained you well, and I have complete confidence in all of you, and I'm sure victory will be in reach," said lead Seargeant Abel. Abel was another EW1 veteran, and second in command of Squad 3.

It was still a bumpy ride for Squad 3, as they approached the blown out gate of the town. Burning buildings, bodies, and the signs of war were everywhere. The very skies were covered in smoke and they could even see the flames of tall buildings flickering high. It literally looked like hell. Everybody quickly unloaded from the APCs, and as soon everybody unloaded, they heard a gunshot. Everybody was confused and frightened, but to only add to the mass hysteria, one of the militia fell flat on the ground, with a bullet wound in the head.

"Sniper! Get down, hurry!" said a militia man. As soon as those words left his mouth, another shot was fired, and he too fell to the ground. Everbody quuickly went into the trenches, and hid for cover, while some other soldiers counter fired at the enemy.

"Everybody! Get your god damn act together, now! Start firing! You guys are pathetic!" Drake yelled, as he fired mortars from his tank at the snipers.

Morale was low as is, and it was hard for the rather shaky squad to do this. Squad 3 was mostly a bunch of young people. They were in desparate need of good commanders and training, however that even wasn't enough to prepare them for war. Timidly, one of the militia men tried moving up from the trench and fired. He managed to take down and enemy soldier. This proved to be good encouragement to others, as they started working together to repel the enemy. More enemy troops were coming in the streets, fighting off the Gallians. In one of the trenches, Peter was sweating heavily, as he saw bullets whizzing above his head from under the trench. Peter said a quick prayer, before coming up and firing his rifle at the Imps. He could then see that he had taken down an enemy scout.

"Holy crap! Dan, I got one!" Peter said to his friend right next to him.

"Great man, but don't get cocky! We're not out of this yet!" Dan responded, as he fired more bullets to the armored Imperials.

"Roger!" Peter reloaded his gun, and fired again. Despite his rather infamous aim, Peter actually found himself to be a little more accurate than usual, as he saw another enemy trooper fall to the ground. "Whoah! Dan, I got another!" Peter said excitedly.

"Okay man, but this ain't a contest! Shut the hell up, and just shoot!"

Peter nodded and continued firing lead at the Imperial invaders. However, despite Squad 3's more unified and confident fighting, the truth was, these Imperials were like cockroaches; no matter how many times you step on them, there seems to be more coming. The squad was defending valiantly however, and it maybe would've made the Lieutenant proud. Peter, in the midst of his incredible streak, was having some terrible luck. His gun was jammed.

"Oh crap... You have got to be kidding me..." Peter forgot to clean his gun, and in one area, the rifle round appeared to be jammed in the chamber. Peter had absolutely no clue how to deal with a situation like this. With a lack of a better plan at this time, Peter started banging on his gun, violently hitting it. Is plan worked... sort of. The round went throught the chamber and the gun subsequently fired... right at a fellow militia soldier. The squad member fell to the ground. Peter looked in disbelief, and realized he had accidently shot his comrade. The militia soldier was hit in the leg, and Peter hoped he would be okay. The downed man looked at Peter, as a medic came to his side. Peter reacted quickly, by shifting his position around, pretending to fire at an enemy soldier behind him."It's okay! There was an Imp behind me! I got him!" Peter knew he was screwed... This wasn't the first time this happened, and he was pretty sure he would get court martialed.

From there, the operation was a success, and Squad 3 managed to take the town, with the assistance of Squad 6 coming later in the battle. But, as the soldier he shot was evacuated, Peter couldn't help but wonder what would happen to him... The Lieutenant would surely have his head...

***End Flashback***

* * *

"So Peter... Do you remember now?"Lt. Drake asked, more angry with Peter than ever.

"Er... Yes, sir..." Peter hesitantly admitted.

"Well, then... I personally asked that you be transferred out of Squad 3. I want you out of my sight! Turn in your uniform no later than noon, and report to Captain Varrot! Whether you actually get to stay in the militia or not, is completely up to her. I'm sick and tired of your insubordination, lying, and your clumsiness. Peter, when you transfer over to your new squad, if you don't get court martialed that is... If you become a war hero, I'll be happy. If you end up dead, I'll still be happy!"

"I appreciate your honesty, sir..." Peter said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Oh, and Peter... when you meet your new Lieutenant, don't be a kiss-ass like you do with me."

Peter nodded, and headed back to Squad 3's barracks. He hung up his uniform, and said goodbye to all his fellow squad-mates. It was rather sad. Moral can be greatly affected if someone gets transferred, for the transferee, and the squad. It will take a bit just to fit in to this new gig. It was especially hard for Peter to say goodbye to Dan, and just leave him here. However, Peter knew he had to do this for his country, and he needed to do this. For better or worse, he had to leave.

"Goodbye, Peter. We'll miss you!" Elizabeth said.

"Shut it, Imp! I'm supposed to say bye to him first!" Dan rudely interrupted.

"Umm... shouldn't it be you to say goodbye last?" Elizabeth questioned.

"God, even without a gun, Imperials still annoy the hell out of me..." Dan mumbled under his breath.

"Hey! I've been born and raised here in Gallia. Sure, my parents may have originated from the Empire, but they wanted a new life and fresh start! Leave behind all the horrors and bad stuff from the first war. And sure, they may still dutifully honor their loyalties, but I honor mine! I won't just join some country I never even knew!" Elizabeth countered.

"That's what you want us to think..." Dan plainly responded. Elizabeth sighed, and face-palmed. Dan walked over to his friend. "Goodbye, man. I'll miss you. Go and kill a couple Imps for me, alright?"

"You got it, man," Peter said, as he hugged his friend. "Oh, and I heard that if you're an asshole to a girl, that means you like her."

Dan quickly pushed his friend away from him. "God, why do you have to be a smart-ass sometimes? Only you can be a smart-ass at times like this. You'll probably make some wisecracks when I'm dying. And I won't even asked where the hell you heard that "being a jerk to a girl" thing from..."

* * *

When Peter left the barracks of Squad 3, he was left in tears. For the past month, he had been through a lot with these people. Laughs were shared, tears were shed... Oh well. Perhaps there would be more of that in the new squad. As he walked toward the militia HQ, Peter looked at all he had to call his own. All he had was a blue jacket, a pair of light brown pants, a rifle, and his blue hunting cap and Bruhl town watch's shawl. Peter often wore the latter two over every outfit he had, his shawl because of his pride of being a Bruhler, and his hunting cap, because his dad always wore it, whom died in the first war. Walking through the gray hall, Peter opened a door to Captain Eleanor Varrot's office. The captain was looking through and signing paperwork. She looked up at Peter, her stern look not changing one bit.

"Ah... Private Rothchild... please, have a seat," she said, looking back at her papers.

Peter nervously walked to the chair sitting in front if Varrot's desk. His heart was beating, and sweat started trickling down his forehead.

"Peter, I have to say that I am very dissapointed in you. Never have I had a case where the squad lieutenant requested for a soldier to be transferred out of the squad due to a horrid record such as yours," Varrot commented, looking through Peter's military records.

"Elle... Can I call you Elle?... Eleanor?... No? Okay... Captain Varrot, no offense but that lieutenant back in Squad 3 is an asshole. I mean, almost all the time, he exaggerates the stuff that happens to us!"

"Private! Watch your mouth! You know better than to use such coarse language in front of an officer!" she shouted. "And if what you say is true, and Lt. Drake is exaggerating, then tell me: is it true or not true that you had a case of friendly fire on more than one occasion?"

Peter stuttered, at a loss for words. "Erm... Yes, I recall those moments."

"You fired two shots injuring both Private Emal Wize, and Corparal Eric Lithe on two separate occasions, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I also understand that you and Private Daniel Kappelhoff stole a cache of alcoholic beverages from Lt. Drake, correct? My, my, Peter. First of all, you aren't even of legal drinking age in Gallia, and second, you stole from one of your fellow soldiers. I never thought one could stoop so low."

Peter was sweating even more. He took off his cap to wipe some sweat off his head before managing to spit out a couple of words. "Look, we were celebrating our first victory. We threw a private party, organized by Sergeant Abel himself, and we had a good time. However, the party was lacking a special something, and someone dared us to-"

"That's enough! Your excuses mean nothing to me! I should make you to never wear a Gallian uniform again! But... but I feel that there is hope for you yet. You were a good, above average student in military training. You should be better than this. So, I'm requesting that you transfer to Squad 7. Lieutenant Gunther I presume you met during the assault on Bruhl. You should be somewhat familiar with him. Being under his command can be an interesting experience. Perhaps he can mold you into a proper soldier."

"Thank you, Captain. I could've been kicked out of the Militia, and you gave me another chance. Thank you. I promise, I won't screw this up!" Peter said, enthusiasm rising in his voice again.

"Well, one more screw up, and I'm afraid that will become a reality. And I'm afraid I'll be demoting you to Private 2nd Class. I had to pull some strings for you, just so you could stay in the military. You need some sort of punishment, so you can learn your lesson. I also think that you will find Squad 7 to be a much better experience for you, considering the fact that you might possibly see a few familiar faces.

"Really? But I got demoted? Hmm... Private 2nd Class, huh? That sounds demeaning... Well, thank you, Captain Varrot."

"Your welcome, Private. You are dismissed."

From there, Peter walked onward to the Squad 7 base. Over and over, he pondered what Captain Varrot meant by, "familiar faces." Could it be someone from Bruhl? Several people from Bruhl? All Peter could do was wait until he got to the barracks themselves. He was issued his new uniform following his meeting with Varrot. He changed into it, to find it was still pretty much the same, with the exception of a number 7 in place of a 3. Putting on his watchman's shawl over his uniform and adjusting his cap, Peter was then ready to meet his new band of brothers and sisters..**.**

**Thanks for reading, guys. I hope i did well, but Ieave you to be the judge of that. Once again, I feel as though there were some things l could have done to make this better. Plus, I never have used a Beta, so I'm on my own here. But that's okay. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, and whatnot. Oh, and to those who read, "You Make Me Smile," I may make other stories like it. Whether or not it will be of Marina and Ted, or other pairing is still being tossed around. If you have suggestions for that, PM me, and leave the review for this story. Thanks. Next chapter, Peter will meet the eccentric Squad 7!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading. If you made it this far in the story, and actually clicked on chapter 3, I thank you. Anyways, there's no battle here, but this is one of the most important chapters. I'll do my best to include and introduce EVERYONE, but as you know, I can't do that. I'll feature a lot of characters, and if I miss anyone that you wish to see, then tell me. I'm sure I can put them in somewhere. Don't worry. Peter will meet more of the squad as the story progresses. I experimented with a couple things in this chapter, and it's really hard to write all the stuff of Squad 7. It gives you a lot of options. So here's my best interpretation of it...**

**

* * *

**

Fort Amatriain. Home of Squad 7. There it was, right in front of him. Adjusting his shawl, Peter opened the door and saw a large crowd of people. Squad 7 was much larger than Squad 3 it seemed. He wandered around. The base was a lot bigger too. It looked like a large tank garage. Surely enough, the special tank Peter remembered seeing in Bruhl was parked right in front of him. As he looked around, he saw small groups of people conversing with each other. They looked more at ease. Maybe Peter was a little too used to his old lieutenant's rather strict environment. He looked around some more, before being stopped by someone.

"Ah! You must be that new recruit that was transferred here!"

That voice was familiar. Peter turned around to see Welkin Gunther, or the "spy" as Peter more familiarly remembered. He was adorned in full uniform and everything. Peter remembered Alicia saying that this was the son, of the great General Gunther, back in the first war. At least he seemed more easy-going than the other guy, Lt. Drake. Peter turned and shook saluted.

"Yes, sir! Private Peter Rothchild reporting for duty, sir!" Peter said, as he tried his best to keep good posture.

"Hey, I remember you! You're that town watchman Alicia was with! It's good to see you again. Oh, and don't worry. You can cut the formalities," Welkin said rather kindly. A bit too kind than what Peter was used to. He stood more loosely and casually. "So, I guess you already know me a bit. Maybe you should introduce yourself to the rest of the squad It'll do you good. You might even be able to make a couple of friends too."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, it's okay. You can just call me Welkin," he casually said.

"Yes, sir... I mean Welkin! Sir! God damn it, I did it again..." Peter mumbled to himself before walking off. Peter looked around, still unsure of himself. He wandered around, and saw several different people. Though, Peter wasn't confident enough to talk to them, not yet anyway. For now, he was intent on seeing who these "familiar faces" that Varrot mentioned. Not too far away, he noticed an instantly recognizable red scarf on someone. She turned around, and there was no doubt about it.

"Holy crap! Alicia! You're alive!" Peter ran over to hug her, and she looked at him awkwardly.

"Oh god... you again..." she muttered under her breath. "Well, Peter. It's good to see you again..." she weakly said, being crushed by Peter's hug. "Um... if you don't mind, can you stop crushing my wind pipe? I... can't... breath..."

"Oh, sorry!" Peter said, as he let go. He quickly stood straight and regained composure.

"Peter, what are you doing here? Wha... Don't tell me you're our new recruit!" Alicia said in disbelief.

"Well, yeah. Good to see you, Miss Melchiott. I suppose you're in Squad 7 too."

"Yes, I am. Just so you know, that's Sergeant Melchiott. I was recognized for my services in helping the Bruhl evacuation."

"If you're a sergeant, then why the hell am I just a second class private? This whole ranking stuff is stupid. I liked it when we were in the town watch. There was just lead watchman, and regular watchmen. And everybody is treated equally."

"Well, under Welkin's command, maybe you can still have that. I personally think he treats everybody well. Right now, I think it's in your best interests to meet and introduce yourself to the Squad. Because for the rest of the war, they'll be your family," Alicia said before walking off to Welkin. Peter shrugged, and tried to find more of his fellow Bruhlers.

"I can't belive he's here now," Alicia complained to Welkin. She took a deep sigh, and sat on a nearby chair.

"Well, what's so bad about him? What's he like?" Welkin asked, taking a seat nearby.

"Well, he's not so bad a guy, but some little things about him annoy me," Alicia said, looking to see if Peter was nearby before continuing.

"Like what?"

"Well, he's nice. He is very protective of his friends, and can be very reliable. But, sometimes I can't help but feel he is a bit of a liability. He's an infamously horrible shot, but yet he was Bruhl's master hunter. He can't seem to use those skills of his at appropriate times. I can't understand him. I even hear he's had a couple cases of friendly fire." Alicia paused and reminisced a time when Peter accidently shot a watchman during training. "He's also a bit of a joker, but not like Ted or Melville. He throws wisecracks that are innapropriate and at innapropriate times. However, there is something that might actually be good, now that I think of it..." she said, putting a hand on her chin and thinking.

"What do you mean?" Welkin asked curiously.

"Well, you know Susie? Well, he's kind of like a brother to her. Not a real brother, but they're very close. He often defends her, sticks up for her, and whatnot. Susie might be a bit timid, but he always encourages her to step up. She gives him some motivation and encouragement too. With his arrival, maybe, in a way, we get two scouts," she said cheerfully.

"Huh. Interesting... How long have they been together?" Welkin asked.

"Well, they met when Susie tried to move with her grandmother, away from her parents. She came to Bruhl nine years ago and met Peter. She was a bit naive of the world around her, so he often helped her out. Like a brother. However, they claim that they are just friends. I think they are too, but they just seem cute together as a couple," Alicia said with a smile. She always pictured the two together. "But don't talk about their relationship in front of them. Susie will deny anything being more than friends, and I'm pretty sure she tells the truth too. Peter has a habit of stuttering out that he and Susie aren't in a relationship, and he often asks about any relationships we have. Personally, I think there's something up with him. Maybe there's something he's hiding..." she said, slyly.

"Wow. So I guess the two will be working together well, huh? Maybe Peter can influence Susie a bit. She's a pacifist at heart, and he's a bit clumsy at heart, but maybe the two can accomplish a lot more together, than they ever could accomplish independently. Animals synergize like that all the time. For example, the Babysitter Lizard often-"

"Um... Welkin? Are you calling my friends animals?" Alicia asked, raising a brow.

"I thought Peter wasn't your friend. But what I was doing, was comparing them to animals, not exactly calling them that," Welkin explained.

"Welkin..." Alicia said, putting her palm on her face. "There is no helping you, is there?"

"What are you talking about? All I'm saying is that teamwork is a proven thing in nature. It helps provide a better living and being able to accomplish much more than you ever could alone. That's why we're all a sqaud in the first place, right?" Welkin mentioned happily.

"Right... Well, I hope the squad will be as nice to Peter as I know Susie would," Alicia said, looking at Peter.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll fit in just fine!"

* * *

"Get the hell out of my vegetable patch, before I put a bullet in you!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know someone would be growing food here!"

Peter had just opened a door to outside and saw a large garden of vegatables. It literally looked like a farm. He walked around, astounded at all the variety of vegetables growing, however he stepped on what looked like some carrots. This hadn't come at a worse time, a tough and gruff looking man came out, whom Peter assumed was the man who worked hard on all this.

"What the hell... My carrots! NO! You son of a bitch..." the man said, as he rolled up his sleeves. As he got closer, Peter got a glimpse of how menacing he looked at the moment; scars, large muscles, and he was very tall to boot. And he could tell that this guy was angry. Peter backed away, stuttering for some sort of apology or something.

"P-please! I'm sorry! Can I do anything? I'll do anything! Please? D-don't kill me!" Peter cowarded in this man's presence. Peter shakily looked up to see that the man was actually considering not kicking his ass, and thinking of something. That was a relief.

"Anything? Hmm... alright, I'll tell you what. You harvest everything here in this patch, I'll consider letting you off the hook. But don't do a half-assed job of it... or else..." the man said, making sure to emphasize those last two words.

"Yes, sir!" Peter hastily said, as he went to harvest and husk some corn. "God, I open one door, and how the hell do I end up in this mess..."

* * *

After a couple hours of hard labor, Peter managed to finally make the farmer satisfied with his effort. The farmer, whom was named Largo, collected the crops and went off to the mess hall.

"I thought it would be frowned upon or something if someone grew stuff on base..." Peter mumbled as he went inside. He was a bit tired from all the harvesting, but Peter endured worse. It was nothing compared to the crap his old lieutenant made him go through. Peter grabbed a canteen hanging from his belt and drank some water. Peter took off his hat and flicked off some sweat. He sighed as he put his hat back on and continued to look through Squad 7's ranks. As he walked around aimlessly, looking for people to talk to (as well as the courage to do so) he saw someone. The blonde hair... that pink bow... Could it be? Peter was focused too much on that woman to pay attention where he was going, and he accidently bumped into someone. Peter fell on his rear, and hard. As he struggled to get up, he saw the person he bumped into. She was a young girl, but the thing that struck Peter was the blue-black hair, and the distinct shawl she wore around her neck. Peter knew these characteristics were somewhat familiar, but he had trouble remembering what they meant. Quickly shaking the thoughts from his head, Peter got up and helped the girl up.

"I am so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, and..." Peter explained, cursing himself for being so clumsy.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," she said kindly. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new here?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just got transferred over here. I'm just trying to get used to this place. I mean, only an hour over here, and that farmer guy made me harvest an entire field of crops. I have a feeling I might make some enemies here..." Peter said warily.

"Don't mind Largo. He's just a bit protective of his crops. I think it just shows his dedication to what he loves to do. Anyway, I'm Isara," she said with a smile.

"I'm Peter. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. He smiled back, and was relieved to see someone polite, who he hadn't already met. "Nice to meet a new friendly face," he continued.

"Well, most of us are pretty friendly. I'm sure you'll be acquainted with them soon enough. So, if you don't mind me asking, did you used to be in the Bruhl Town Watch?" she asked.

"I did. How did you know?"

"Well, I think I might have seen you before. I lived in Bruhl with my brother Welkin. Plus, I assumed as much, since you still wear your watchman's shawl over your uniform," she said pointing at the blue shawl hanging around Peter's neck.

"You're the lieutenant's sister? How's that work? I mean, you don''t look much like him. If you don't mind me asking," Peter said, trying to be on par with her politeness.

"It's okay. You see, I'm Welkin's adopted sister. My Darcsen father worked with General Gunther. My father died in the first war, and Welkin's father decided to take me as his own. Ever since, me and Welks have been together through thick and thin, and I couldn't ask for a better brother!" she exclaimed.

Peter smiled. She seemed like a really nice girl, but something stopped Peter in his tracks. Something in his mind. "What's a Darcsen?" Peter asked. Isara looked at Peter curiously, not sure if he was being serious or not.

"You don't know what a Darcsen is?" Isara was a bit surprised at this.

Peter shook his head. "I've heard of them, but I can't seem to remember at the moment."

Isara smiled. "Well, I'll explain. The Darcsens are a race of people who I would guess, be Europa's oldest indigenous race. We have dark hair, like mine, and we often wear a cloth, bearing the Darcsen pattern. We are a bit oppressed, but we still live proudly with a unique and rich culture. I hope to see a day, where we can live together in peace," she explained. Peter was listening intently, but then something popped up in his mind.

"Isn't there some sort of disaster or something?" Peter asked, recalling an old history lesson. Her face went a tad less cheerful, as she winced at his mention of a disaster.

"Yes," she said, her tone darkening. "History told that Darcsens once brought an almost utter destruction upon Europa. But then, the Valkyrur came, and saved Europa. Ever since then, most Darcsens were hated and persecuted. However, I believe that there is no scientific proof of such events. We shouldn't be hated for things happening thousands of years ago..." she said sadly. She looked at Peter, expecting some sort of negative response, or a Darcsen racial slur.

"I agree," Peter said as his memory of the Darcsens returned. And his response seemed to shock Isara. "I judge people by what they are, not of what they were, or what others were. I mean, you're not trying to kill Europa now, right?" Isara looked at him with undivided attention, prompting him to further explain. "I had a similar case. I had a friend, who was an Imperial, who joined the Militia solely because she believed she was Gallian. Sure, she was pushed around a lot, but I find it admirable that she wanted to fight for what she is now, rather than fight for what her parents were. It takes a lot of guts to do that."

Isara was dumbfounded, but happy at his response. "That's exactly it. I thank you for your understanding, Peter. That means a lot to me. It's nice to see some people can still see the light."

* * *

**Somewhere else on base...**

"Hey, Welkin. Look," Alicia said. Welkin motioned toward Peter and Isara talking together.

"Looks like Peter made a new friend with Is. It's good for someone to finally see what she is beyond her dark hair," he said relieved.

"Ha! Are you kidding me? Another Dark-Hair lover? As if we didn't have enough!" a voice called out. Alicia and Welkin turned to see two people walking by: Private Cezary Regard, and Corporal Brigette "Rosie" Stark. The two of them looked at Peter and Isara's conversing in disgust.

"Hmph. I don't like him already. I can't believe he can just talk to her like that so absent-mindedly. She's going to end up destroying this squad one way or another," Rosie said angrily.

Welkin and Alicia exchanged worried glances. "Look, you guys don't have to like it, but Isara is a valued member of our squad, and expect you to treat her with respect as much as an other soldier!" Welkin said, in a rather imposing tone.

"God, that kid's just going to get that Darcsen stink on him. He's so stupid, I overheard him ask what a Darcsen was!" Cezary exclaimed. He started laughing and even Rosie started laughing too. "What an idiot!"

"Guys, that's enough! I'm sure Private Rothchild knows what a Darcsen is. And even if he didn't, then maybe it's for the best. Maybe he could see for what Isara truly is: a human, just like every one of us," Welkin tried stating calmly.

Rosie and Cezary laughed. "Are you comparing us to a Dark-Hair! Ha! She's less than human!" Cezary remarked. Welkin winced at such bigotry.

"As much as I hate Cezary, he's got a point. Boss, if you don't get rid of her, you'll lose some very important squad members, whether we leave voluntarily, or get blown up by her," Rosie added.

"Look, Isara is staying whether you like it or not! And you'll just have to deal with it!" Welkin yelled. Anger was in his voice, an emotion very rarely used by the rather calm and easy-going lieutenant. Rosie and Cezary shrugged, and walked off. Alicia put a hand on Welkin's shoulder.

"Welkin, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "It's not like you to be angry."

"Yes. I'm fine. It pains me to see so many ignorant people in this world. And the ones who aren't end up getting punished. It's... it's not right," Welkin said, as he raised his head to see Isara and Peter still conversing with one another. "I hope Peter can still stay true. He's one of the only people I've seen who can be openly kind to a Darcsen. I just hope he doesn't get bullied like the others..."

* * *

Peter waved goodbye to Isara and walked off. She seemed like such an interesting person. It was nice to make new friends once in a while. Peter wasn't exactly used to it. Not since the Militia anyway. He's had the exact same friends since he was ten, and it didn't really change much, considering he never left Bruhl in his life. Peter searched around to see if the girl who was supposedly his closest friend really was his closest friend, before bumping into Isara. As he continued searching, bad luck would have it, he would bump into someone again. Peter was walking rather fast, not paying attention. He felt something tangle and bump into his leg; someone else's leg. He and the other person tripped and fell flat on their faces.

"Ow... god damn it..." Peter mumbled, as he looked up to see young girl in a beret.

"That hurt... Oh, crap! I'm so sorry, sir! Please forgive me! I'm such a klutz!" she girl quickly apologized.

"I'm fine. What's your name?" Peter asked, curious to see who this was.

"It's Nancy. Nancy Dufour, but right now, I'm in a rush. Excuse me," she said promptly

Peter watched her get up, only to run again and trip on a cable wire lying on the ground. She got up, and continued on. Peter was comforted to know that he wasn't really the only one who was a bit clumsy at times. Peter walked on, a bit slower, and actually tried to pay attention to where he was walking. Sitting on a table writing something, Peter noticed another familiar face. He had black hair with a blue and white head-wrap.

"Noce? Is that you? You're alive?!" Peter rushed over to his fellow watchman. The town watchman looked up, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Peter. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad to see you. I assume you're the new recruit people are talking about. You know, fate just seemed to bring us Bruhlers all here. In Squad 7. I could write something on that... But anyway, where's your partner, Dan?" Noce asked, continuing to scribble down things in a notepad.

"He's still in Squad 3. But when you say Bruhlers, who exactly are they?" Peter asked, eager to know.

"Well, there's me, you, Alicia and Welkin... Jane, that florist girl is here... Susie is-"

"Susie's here?" Peter interrupted. His heart just seemed to skip a beat, without even realizing it.

"Of course. I thought you had met her by now," said Noce. "You never really let her out of your sights," he added, grinned.

"I've got to find her..." Peter said. Before he could go, Noce stopped him one more time.

"Peter, wait. Before you go, would you say Alicia's beauty comparable to a cherry blossom?"

"You and your freakin' poems, Noce... I'd say no, because cherry blossoms are a bit fragile and delicate, but Alicia's tough as nails. But how should I know? I don't know anything about flowers."

"Really? But cherry blossoms are a symbol of feminine beauty! Hmm... I'll be sure to take note on that. Thanks. Oh, and if you ever need a poem done for you to give to Susie, let me know!" Noce said teasingly. Peter let it slide for now...

Peter wandered around, until he came across a firing range. Peter still wanted to look for Susie, but he found this to be a good oppurtunity to test his sharpshooting skills. His old base for Squad 3 didn't have a shooting range, strangely enough. No one else was around, except for a young black haired woman holding a sniper, and taking shots at the targets. She had part of her hair covering her left eye. Peter would've talked to her, but she seemed too focused on her shooting, that it seemed rude to interrupt her. Peter grabbed his rifle and took aim. He fired at the targets, which were painted bullseyes on circular wooden boards. He took a shot, but it hit the circle two places outside thebullseye. Peter pulled back the rifle bolt and loaded another round. He aimed and fired, only this time the bullet hit the target even farther from the bullseye. Peter cursed himself, wondering where the hell all his hunting experience went.

"Your hands are a bit shaky. You might want to hold the rifle stock against your chest. But, something seems to be bothering you too. You have to have confidence when you fire a gun," said a voice. Peter turned around and saw a middle aged woman with short black hair standing next to him. Based on the crosshairs insignia, Peter could tell she was a sniper. An EW1 veteran, possibly.

"I know how to fire a gun..." Peter said rather arrogantly.

"Well, if you did, you wouldn't keep your hand so distant from yourself. It makes for more stability if you pull it closer to you. However, I could just tell from the look on your face. You have doubt. You're nervous," she continued.

"What makes you think you know anything about me? I never met you. You don't even know my name," Peter said. Peter hated being lectured, but she did have a point on something. He tried pulling the stock up against his chest and fired. It was on the circle just outside the bullseye.

"See? You can do it. Listen, lad. It's natural for everyone to have doubt in your mind. Especially in war. Have confidence and don't just think you can do it; know you can do it," the sniper continued,

Peter tried to get it in his mind that he could do this. Hhe repeated it several times in his mind. He fired once and it hit dead center in a target. He looked to his side, and saw the sniper smiling.

"Don't worry, lad. I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to our ranks. What is your name?" the sniper asked.

"It's Peter. Peter Rothchild. And you are...?" Peter asked, as he kept concentrating on his firing.

"Oh, silly me! Where are my manners? My name's Catherine. Catherine O'Hara. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Peter." Peter set his rifle down to shake hands with Catherine. "If you need anything at all, please. Don't hesitate to ask. I'm afraid I should be going. Goodbye, Peter."

Peter waved goodby to Catherine and tried taking his new knowledge into effect. Peter fired again. Bullesye. After a couple shots, Peter seemed to be a very accurate scout. But yet, why in the hell does his accuracy worsen when in battle? Perhaps it's the whole psycological battle within his mind. Peter thinking about what Catherine had said, and loaded another round into the rifle. However, Peter now relived a painful memory. His gun jammed. Again.

"Oh crap... Not this shit again..."

* * *

Welkin and Largo were watching Peter take his shots. They both were talking about Peter. Word had spread in the squad of this new guy, however little actually payed attention to it.

"Hmph. The kid makes a decent crop harvester. He gathers crops faster than I did, when I was his age," Largo said.

"Maybe he had motivation because he thought you were going to beat him to death," Welkin joked.

"Are you kidding me? When I messed up crops, my dad threatened me with a shotgun, instead of his fists..." They watched him shoot a couple more targets. "I heard this kid was a horrible shot. Now that I see this, he seems more accurate than the average scout," Largo said, somewhat impressed with Peter's performance. There were some shots that made even him raise his brows.

"Alicia told me it's because he gets under pressure. He's a bit nervous in battle," Welkin said.

"Feh. It's probably because he has very low combat experience. Experience is the most important thing of all in combat. He needs to get used to the feel of battle!" Largo proudly explained. The base of Largo's pride as a soldier was experience, but he seemed to respect Welkin following the battle at Vasel.

"Well, most of the people here don't have that much experience. Heck, even I don't have much experience. But that doesn't stop me from being an able commander."

"But Boss, you're an exception. I hear this kid even had a case of friendly fire! Twice!" Largo countered.

"Come on, Largo! Cut Peter some slack. It can't be that bad!" Welkin said, cheerfully.

As soon as Welkin said those words, a bullet whizzed between Welkin and Largo. The two looked at each other, both unsure of what the hell happened. Trying to process the information, they looked at the bullet-hole in the wall. They slowly turned their heads to the origin of the bullet, only to find Peter standing meekly, with his rifle in his hands, shaking.

"S-sorry, sirs! My gun jammed! I-it won't happen again! I p-promise!" Peter said, before he ran, leaving a trail of dust in his path.

"You were saying?" Largo said, his point being proven.

* * *

Peter ran as fast as he could. His heart beated heavily, as he inhaled and exhaled. He was damn lucky that that shot had missed both people. He flashed back to his conversation with Captain Varrot...

_"Thank you, Captain. I could've been kicked out of the Militia and you gave me another chance. Thank you. I promise, I won't screw this up!"_

_"Well, one more screw up, and I'm afraid that will become a reality..." _

Peter shuddered at the thought. He had a lucky break. Peter made a note to himself to get his gun checked, repaired, or get a new one altogether. One day in, and Peter was already a bit tense. And he hasn't even been in combat yet. Peter took off his hat and was tugging at his shawl. It was getting a bit hot. That or he was nervous. Peter took a seat and braught out his canteen and drank some water. As he drank, Peter heard some footsteps walking nearby, but he didn't pay any attention to them. As he drank, he heard familiar feminine voice.

"Peter...?" the voice asked. Peter looked up and saw...

"Susie!?" Peter almost gagged on his water, and he ended coughing it out.

"Eww..." she merely said. Ignoring any awkwardness that moment would've normally caused, Peter ran up to Susie and hugged her.

"Peter! It's so good to see you!" Susie said in disbelief.

Peter smiled back and continued to hold her in his arms, although he started to blush a bit, when Peter realized he and Susie were making a bit of a scene, and some people were staring.

"Ahem!" Peter said, as he separated from Susie's arms. "We're just friends. Okay? Nothing to see here, people!" Peter said, addressing the crowd. The people then dispersed, and Peter and Susie had a seat on a couple of stools lying around.

"So how have you been, Susie?" Peter asked. "I mean, aren't you still a pacifist?"

Susie's cheerful expression went down a bit, but she did her best to retain her smile. "Well, I will do my best to protect Gallia, no matter the cost. But scouts aren't really soldiers, right? I mean, we just seek out patrols, collect information and such." However, Susie's mood went up again. "And Daddy was so happy when I told him that I joined the Militia. He was actually proud of me. He said, 'You are an Evans now!' And now that you're here, I have confidence that we can make it through this war!" she said.

Peter was happy that she found comfort in him, but something about her family troubled him. "Why is it that your father was only proud until you joined the Militia? I mean, come to think of it, you never really talk about him."

"Well, you know that my family is a rich and wealthy family, right? Well, my father almost... disowned me just for wanting to move to Bruhl with my grandmother. I intended to go back, and live with Father again following my grandmother's death, but after meeting you, Alicia, and all my other friends, I just didn't want to leave."

"I never knew that... Then what made you want to join the Militia? To make your dad proud?"

"Well, partly. I also wanted to protect people. And make sure helpless people don't fall victim to the horrors of war. That... and my father threatened to cut my name from his will..."she said sadly.

"That's terrible!" Peter exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had this much family troubles..." Peter said, more calmed down.

"It's okay, Peter. Right now, I'm just glad to have you around," Susie said, hugging him one more time. Peter returned the hug, and they separated. There was just but a moment of silence, where the two looked in each others eyes, before a loud voice on the intercom blared.

"Okay, everbody! Lights out in no more than fifteen minutes!"

Peter looked at his wrist watch and saw that it was already a quarter 'till nine. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Peter said to Susie. She nodded back in reply, and headed to the female's sleeping quarters. Peter headed the opposite way, where he would rest up for the night. Time sure flies when you meet a squad... He walked over the men's sleeping quarters and saw the squad getting ready for bed. Peter looked around for his bunk, until he found one with his name on it.

"Hey, Pete! Good to see you."

Peter looked up and saw Noce in the bunk just above Peter's.

"Good to see you too. At least I'm not sleeping on a bunk next to a complete stranger," Peter said, gladly.

Noce nodded, before turning his head away and resting it on his pillow. Peter undressed from his uniform, leaving his undergarments, and headed in the bed below Noce's. Before Peter could settle himself in and sleep, someone was tapping his shoulder. Peter looked to his side and saw a young man about his age.

"Hey, what's your name?" the guy asked.

"Peter," he merely replied, trying to get some sleep.

"Peter, eh? So Peter and Susie sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-" before the guy could complete his little sing-song routing, Peter struck him in the face, causing him stumble back and land on the ground. "Whoah! Settle down there! It was just a joke!" he quickly apologized.

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep here..." Peter said, covering the pillow on top of his head.

"Sure. Whatever..." said the boy, before retreating to his bunk.

Just then, Peter felt someone tapping on his shoulder again.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Peter said. As soon as he looked though, he saw different person, this one being a boy younger than Peter.

"Uhh... Sorry to bother you, but please excuse my friend, Melville. He was only joking. He does that a lot."

"And you are?" Peter asked.

The boy's eyebrows raised. "Me? Oh, I'm Ted. Ted Ustinov. But just call me Ted," he relpied. Peter could visibly see sweat running down Ted's faces. He could tell that this kid was nervous if Peter would punch or hit him, like he did with Melville.

Peter turned his head away from could hear him walking away, but he payed no attention to it. The lights in the room were turned off, and Peter could feel his eyelids becoming heavy, until he finally succumbed to slumber.

**Okay, so this chapter was a bit long. But like I said, I'll have Peter be introduced to the rest of the squad as the story progresses. I hope that this wasn't too bad. There's still room for improvement. I'll go over this a couple of times, and see what needs to be edited. I'll let you be the judge as to if it needs editing or not. Anyway please review! Oh, and since Peter's finally a member of Squad 7, I made my own list of potentials, that I thought I'd post up in here! Assume Peter's lvl 20.**

**_Peter Rothchild lvl. 20, HP 280  
_**

**_Potentials..._**

Country Bred: When exposed to the great countryside, Peter gains a feeling of ease and calm, increasing his accuracy.

Pressure: When around groups of enemies numbering more than three, Peter becomes nervous, decreasing his accuracy.

Town Watch: When around fellow members of the Bruhl Town Watch (Alicia, Noce, and Susie) Peter gains confidence and encouragement, increasing his defense.

Susie's Sweetheart: When around Susie, Peter's confidence and protective habits kick in, increasing his attack.

Protector: When around any friendly unit that has less than half of their health, Peter risks all to save them. All his general stats, including damage, accuracy, and defense increase.

**_Potentials in Combat..._**

Gun Jam: Peter's infamous luck with gun maintenance takes its toll, and Peter fires one or two less shots in combat than he normally would.

Hunter's Sight: Peter's experience with hunting and Catherine's advice kick in, and he becomes highly accurate.

Brother: When commencing a team attack with another friendly unit nearby, Peter's teamworking skills allow for double the damage he and his comrades normally inflict, for a devastating attack.

_**Likes: **_Susie Ted Noce

**As you see, Peter can be a great character, but still has his strengths and weaknesses. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay. This is mostly just more talk and Peter getting to know more people. There's not exactly any action yet, but rest assured. You'll see real combat scenes next chapter. I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. You might think I say this for all chapters, but this one is more unliked than usual. However, on a side note, I am glad Peter can be thought of as a realistic character, rather than some Gary Stu character, or "perfect" character. I thank ArtilleryImbecile for giving me that praise. I don't usually advertise other stories, but I recommend looking this author's story, titled, "Valkyria Chronicles: Isara's Survival." Now enough of this chit-chat. Let's get on with this chapter!**

The morning seemed pretty much the same as it did for when Peter was in Squad the exception of Peter hitting his head on a metal bar on the top bunk... From there it was pretty routine. Everybody got dressed, the whole squad would get ready to line up and do role call. Peter went got his Squad 7 uniform, and fitted the light armor plating that went with it. He took his rifle, and before he left, Peter added the finishing touches to almost every outfit he wears; his trademark hunting cap and Bruhl Town Watch's shawl. Everybody in the mens' quarters left in an orderly fashion, as did all the women. Everybody lined up and saluted, as Welkin and his subordinate, Alicia, took role. As Peter stood at his attention, he saw that there were many more peolpe in the squad than he originally thought. It was massive. Following role call, everybody in the barracks of Squad 7 were on standby; in other words, everyone pretty much waited for further instructions from the boss. As Welkin and Alicia left through the doors, everybody eased up, and the line of people dispersed. As he left to find any of his friends, Peter found himself lost in the crowd. When so many faces are around you, it's hard to see who your looking for, as all the faces just seem to blur together all around him. Giving up, headed to the mess hall for some breakfast, where most of the crowd was headed was traveling to. Perhaps his friends would be eating breakfast. As the crowd got thinner, Peter went through, cutting in front of people, and got to the mess hall. People were eating and chatting everywhere. Peter rushed to the line where people were getting their food. He picked up a tray and started getting some breakfast. After a lengthy line, Peter was out. With his tray in hand, Peter tried looking for his fellow Bruhlers. Just then, a voice called out.

"Hey, kid!"

Peter turned to see two people walking toward him. A woman with red hair tied in buns, and a guy with grey hair. Both of them seemed to be staring at Peter, making him a bit uncomfortable.

"Umm... can I help you?" Peter meekly asked.

"More like 'can I help _you_' Dark-Hair lover?" the grey haired guy snapped back. Peter looked at them in confusion.

"Yeah, do you realize how much danger you're getting yourself into, just by talking to that Darcsen girl?" the woman added.

"Do you mean Isara? What's wrong with her?" Peter asked.

"Are you really that naive? She's Darcsen! But since you were stupid enough to ask what they are, I'll give you a little Dark-Hair 101: They stink, they cause nothing but trouble, and they'll all blow you up. End of story," the red haired woman said.

"Guys, you have no right to judge them like that. Isara's a good person. She's kind, and I think you just like to base things on stereotypes that have no true-" before Peter could finish, the grey haired man shoved Peter, causing him to fall on the ground, and the food on his tray getting all over the ground and his clothes. "Hey, man! What the hell?!" Peter exclaimed, as the grey haired man cracked his knuckles. As he saw this, Peter was conflicted with annoyance, and fear. He looked around in the crowd for any type of help, but some people looked at the scene, only a few seconds, before getting back to what they were doing.

"You know the only thing that disgusts me more than a Darcsen? Goody-two-shoes like you spouting crap about human equality and all that bullshit," the grey haired man said, as he and the red haired woman walked toward Peter. Both of them were really angered, and Peter didn't even know why he was about to get beat up. All he did was back up away from them. He was really getting intimidated, and he was starting to sweat a bit.

"Cezary! Rosie! Stop it! That's enough!" a voice called out. Peter saw a man standing in front of the two, blocking their path.

"Look, old man! Get the hell out of our way! When we get done 'educating' this kid on the real truth of Dark-Hairs, maybe we'll deal with you later," Cezary remarked.

"Leave him alone!" shouted a feminine voice. Another woman stood near the man, defending Peter.

"Feh. I've had enough excitement for one day. Besides, I can't stand all the Darcsen stink in one place. Let's go, Cezary," Rosie said, as the two walked off. Peter still had no idea what the hell just happened.

"Are you alright, son?" the man said. The man and woman defending Peter turned around, and he saw that the man was a middle aged guy with a beard and glasses. The woman was a young lady with short and neatly straightened hair. They both had a blue-black color to their hair. They were both Darcsen. "Are you okay?" they asked again.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Peter said as he was helped up by he two. Peter looked at his outfit, and sighed. It was covered in food and stains. At least his shawl was left untouched. Peter couldn't really say the same about the rest of his clothes. "Who are you guys?" Peter asked, while attempting to wipe off some stains with a towel.

"I'm Wavy" said the man in glasses.

"And I'm Nadine," said the woman.

Peter nodded, but was too focused at the moment getting a stubborn stain out, but to no avail. "Why were those assholes messing with me?" Peter asked.

"Well, probably because you've shown some friendliness to Darcsens. They'll most likely keep picking on you. Just like they do us," Wavy said, somewhat sadly.

"I don't see what the big deal is? Why pick on you guys?" Peter asked, scratching his head.

Nadine chuckled and smiled. "You weren't kidding when you asked Isara what a Darcsen was. You really don't know?" she asked.

"It's not that I don't know, it's just that I've never really heard about Darcsens since high school. I can't really remember it that well. Plus, I've never been next to a Darcsen. In fact, I don't even know if there were any Darcsens living in Bruhl at all," Peter explained.

Both Wavy and Nadine raised their brows in surprise. "Um... Isara lived in Bruhl..." Wavy mentioned.

"Oh... right..." Peter mumbled, rather embarrassed. He paused a bit to curse himself for being so stupid. "So why did you guys stick up for me?" Peter asked.

"Well, rumor spread that you were kind to Darcsens. From Isara, and those two you just met over there. There's not too many people that openly show kindness to us. You're one of a few," Nadine said.

"Unfortunately, because of people like Cezary and Rosie, people are rather silent on the whole Darcsen thing. Many more people will probably be nice to us, but those people are often shown as much hate as us. After Karl, pretty much everybody is too scared to admit it," Wavy said, motioning to a man and a woman sitting together, the latter whom was a Darcsen. "But it's nice to see someone able to show some sympathy toward us. And for that, you have me and Nadine's thanks," Wavy said smiling, and patting Peter on the back.

"Great. It was nice meeting you two, but right now, I need to clean this uniform. Goodbye," Peter said, as he went over to the laundry room. Peter was glad he was able to make new friends, but by making friends with Isara, Nadine, Wavy, and now pretty much every other Darcsen and Darcsen sympathizer, Peter realized he had made a couple of new enemies. First impression of Rosie: bitch. First impression of Cezary: asshole. This was the last thing Peter wanted, but while he would stay loyal to his newfound Darcsen friends, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. Now he would be just another target of ridicule and humiliation. Peter did his best to shake the selfish thoughts away from his head, but having enemies in your own ranks is something Peter wasn't used to. In Squad 3, he was either a friend to some, and a nobody to everyone else. Plain and simple. But for now, Peter decided just to focus on cleaning his clothes. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that he was hungry too. After all, his breakfast was all over his clothes.

"Oh, and I know you lost your breakfast, but here. This is for you It's not much, but I hope it'll be alright," said a voice.

As if on cue, Peter turned around to see Nadine with a rather small, but tasty looking muffin in her hand, being offered to Peter. He snatched the muffin from Nadine's hand rather quickly, but as soon as he did, he felt slightly worried if that came off as rude. Peter merely nodded and smiled meekly. Still, she smiled back and went on her way. Perhaps being friends with Darcsens wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Peter was in his usual civilian clothes now, as he tried washing his Militia uniform. Finally, after the last stain was removed, by long efforts of scrubbing and soap, Peter hung his uniform up to dry. Peter sighed as he took some water from his canteen. Spinning the cap back on, Peter did his usual routine of walking around aimlessly, looking for something to do. He wandered until he stumbled upon a room with a couple couches, a fireplace, and a desk. It seemed like some sort of office of some kind. There, Peter saw his friend, Susie, chatting with two other girls, while brushing their hair, putting make-up, and other typical 'girl stuff.' Though the blonde haired boy sitting neaar them just seemed out of place. Peter never really was one to socialize with girls, but perhaps meeting them would be helpful. He slowly walked over, somewhat getting a bit shy along the way.

"Peter!" Susie exclaimed. She ran over to hug him. Forgetting that other people were in the room, Peter did the same for her. The hug was followed by several "oohs" from the girls.

"Who's this, Susie? Is that that Peter guy you talk about?" one of the girls asked, who was a young girl with silver grey hair and pony tails.

Peter looked Susie as they separated from their hug. "You... talked about me...?" Peter said, sweating and getting overly curious of what Susie and her friends had to say.

"She said you stand up for her and protect her. I think it's sweet that you do that for her. You've been together for about nine years together... it's sooooo romantic!" said the other girl, whom upon closer inspection, looked really young. Extremely young. However, Peter quickly pushed the thought out of his head and realized what this girl had just said.

"No, no, no, no, no! We are NOT in a relationship! How many times do I have to clarify that!?" Peter quickly retorted defensively. It ticked him off to no end how just because Peter and Susie are friends for a long time, they have to be in some sort of romantic relationship.

"Peter's right, Aisha. We've been friends for a while. He's... like a brother to me," Susie said more calmly.

"Yeah... riiiiiiight.... Peter and Susie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" the silvery haired girl remarked. Peter felt a slight bit of anger in him, remembering the same little routine from last night when he fisted Melville in the face. However, Peter knew better than to let such anger show. In front of a girl, anyway.

"Oh, Edy! Stop that!" Susie said, blushing. She gave Edy a playful hit on the shoulder. Aisha and Edy started giggling. Peter felt himself somewhat out of place, just like the other boy standing around.

"You know, maybe these guys are telling the truth. Maybe they are just friends," said the blonde boy, finally speaking up.

"Shut up, Homer!" Edy quickly said. She backhanded him across the face and he fell to the ground.

"Uhh... what the hell was that for? What did he do? Is he alright?" Peter asked, looking at Homer still reeling from Edy's hit.

"Oh, it's okay. Miss Edy does that all the time. I'm okay with it," Homer said, chuckling. Peter raised a brow, wondering how the hell he could be okay with this.

"He actually enjoys it... Right, Homer?" Edy asked. He nodded, and before Homer could open his mouth to speak again, she hit him on the other side of his face with her fist.

Peter looked at the situation, and felt a bit... left out. He saw Susie and her friends chat, and they talked, styled their hair, and gossiped about the people in the Squad, sometimes completely forgetting Peter was there. And Homer too, but when they actually notice him, they usually end up hurting him in some way. What a weird little boy... In nine years, Peter never knew how catty Susie was. She never really hung out with girls other than Alicia, back in Bruhl. Maybe Alicia was like this too. He never really saw the "overly feminine" side of anyone.

"Okay... I'll be going now," Peter stated, feeling he's stood there long enough. Susie hugged him one more time, spurring more "ooohs" and giggling from the other girls.

"Take care..." Susie whispered.

"It was nice meeting you, Peter!" Aisha called out. She and Edy waved goodbye, as did Homer. Peter waved back goodbye. As soon as he left, he sighed. Hmph. Girls.

* * *

Peter got his usual uniform from the wash room. He and changed in his uniform. He still had the meeting with Susie and her friends on her mind. Peter knew Susie was always a bit girly. After all, she had a pink bow in her hair. But seeing her hang out with girls like them was... interesting to say the least. As he got done getting into his uniform, Peter was adjusting his shawl, when Noce walked by.

"Peter! We just orders from the boss! We're gonna deploy in an hour!" Noce exclaimed.

"What?!" Peter yelled. "Deploying? As in, we fight the Empire?" he asked, dumbfounded. Peter was unsure if only after one day in Squad 7, he could actually be successful in an actual fight. Sure, Peter made a couple friends. There was his fellow Bruhlers, the Darcsens, Catherine, and pehaps Susie's friends. Peter was sure that they would get his back in a firefight. However, there's also the enemies he made. Who knows to what lengths they'd go to. And of course, this squad probably had very different fighting tactics from Squad 3. There was just so much to consider.

"Peter? You still there? Snap out of it! Move your ass! We have to get going. We'll be getting ready. We're going to Kloden!" Noce said, gathering his own things.

"Wow... my first mission... This is intense!" Peter said, sweating more than ever. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Peter kept repeating to himself.

"Pete, calm down! It can't be that bad. You'll get through this, and it'lll be alright. I'm sure you've been through worse," Noce said, trying to calm Peter. Peter took a couple deep breathes before calmong down to a manageable level. "Seriously, you that nervous? I heven't seen you this freaked out since those criminals escaped the Watch HQ and were loose in Bruhl. Seems you still feel the effects of pressure, man," Noce continued.

"I know. I'm... worried. That's all."

"About you? Or Susie? Because I'm sure she's gonna be okay. You will too."

Peter didn't reply. He stayed silent, as he followed Noce to where the rest of Squad 7 assembled, and took role. They were being briefed on the general situation, though a finalized battle plan hadn't been decided yet. Welkin wanted to explore the landscape for some reason. They were going to the famed Kloden Wildwoods, a dense forest in southern Gallia. Peter had explored forests before, especially when hunting, though that oppurtunity never presented itself too often; the Bruhl area was that of a wide and flat grassland. But maybe a little experience in forest hunting might prove advantageous. The thought comforted Peter a bit. At the Kloden Forests, Squad 7 would be assaulting an Imperial supply base, with the assistance of Squad 1. It seemed straightforward, but rumors abound that an infamous Imperial General was at the scene. Plus, he and the Imperial forces stationed there managed to defeat an entire regiment of troops lead by General Damon himself. This put more uneasiness in Peter. What could a couple Militia grunts do?

* * *

The road to Kloden was a rocky one, in a literal sense, and a psychological sense. Most people traveled in armored APCs. The rest had to walk on foot. It was a tense journey. Peter was sitting in a seat of an APC, along with several other Squad 7 troops. Most of whom he's never seen before. Peter still had some nervous breakdowns, despite how many times people try to give him some comfort, it never really calmed him down, for long anyway. As soon as he was done worrying about one thing, he was worrying about the next.

"Peter... stop worrying," Susie told him. Peter often had a sense of calm when around Susie. She put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Peter took a deep sigh. What was it he was worrying about? The enemy general? The fact that this was his first mission? His gun jamming on him again? His friends? So many things to consider. But for now, having Susie and the rest of his friends around him calmed down. For the duration of the long ride, Peter merely sat in his seat, not saying a word. Everyone else in the APC Peter was sitting in stayed silent as well. He closed his eyes, and thought of Bruhl. What would happen after the war? Considering Gallia actually wins this thing, Peter knows that after the war, he'll be going back to Bruhl. It didn't really matter what he'd do there. From what Peter always looked at it, he was born in Bruhl and he'll die in Bruhl. So Peter needs to be careful if he actually plans on dying there instead of a battlefield. Peter also thought of his mother. She was evacuated from Bruhl to Landvassa following the Empire's invasion, and possibly is now in Randgriz. That might be the only explanation, considering his mother never replied to the letters he sent to Landvassa, and where all other Bruhl evacuees were. Peter worried for his mother's safety, and even wondered if she survived the initial attack on Bruhl.

"We're here!" said the engineer driving the vehicle.

Peter and the rest of the troops in the APC got out, and looked around them. They were in a clearing of a large and dense forest. Several other transports unloaded troops from Squads 1 and 7. The whole forest had an illusion of feeling isolated from the rest of the world, as well as feeling... alone. Even when you have two squads right behind you. Much to Peter's dismay, this was a lot different from any forests near Bruhl. Different terrain, different atmoshpere... hell, even the trees felt different. Unsure of what to do with himself at this point, Peter decided temporarily leave his friends to see what the lieutenant was up to. It's said that Welkin knew a hell of a lot on nature, so maybe Peter could learn a thing or two. Peter walked on, until found him near him near his tank, the Edelweiss. Nearby was Isara, Alicia, Largo the Crazy Farmer, and Rosie the Racist Bitch. As Peter walked by them, he could hear Rosie scoff as he walked by her, and Largo seemed to be angrily staring at him. Peter didn't want a repeat incident like in the mess hall, so he almost immediately picked up the pace to get away from them. As he went up to Welkin, Peter could see him sifting through the dirt. He motioned Alicia to get next to him.

"Here, Alicia. Could you hold these for me?" Welkin asked as he held up something to Alicia.

Alicia took the things from his hands and looked at them closely. "What are these?" she asked. "Some kind of nuts?"

"Actually, they're Longbeard Goat droppings," Welkin casually said. Peter looked on in surprise as well as Alicia.

"What?! Are you crazy!? You made me hold poo?!" Alicia cried out. Peter then burst out laughing. "Stop laughing at me!" Alicia yelled angriliy. She threw the goat droppings at Peter.

"Eww! What the hell?! I already had to wash my uniform this morning!" Peter complained, as he wiped off the droppings from his uniform shirt. "God damn it... That'll stain again..." Peter sighed, using the water in his canteen to get this stuff off.

"Guys, we're not alone," Isara mentioned, motioning toward a clump of grass. Peter and Alicia moved toward it, and saw rustling in the grass. "I've seen movement over there for a while," Isara continued.

"Is it a spy?" Alicia asked.

Peter had another nervous breakdown. "Spy? What?! Oh god, oh god! This NOT good," Peter mumbled. However, he regained his confidence rather quickly, and Peter walked slowly toward the grass to investigate.

"Put your hands in the air!" Peter yelled. He saw the rustling in the grass move away from him, and he chased it down. Peter realized that the grass was actually shorter and clear of obstructions, making it easier to move through, allowing him to catch up with the "spy" faster. Peter caught up with it, but then saw what it truly was. It definitely wasn't a spy. It looked like a pig with wings.

"Moink?" the pig responded.

However, Peter had other things in mind, his hunter instincts kicking in. "Oh, sweet! We are gonna eat good tonight!" Peter exclaimed, as he pulled back the rifle bolt on his gun and loaded it.

"MOINK?!" the pig cried, and it ran away. Peter had a long chase around the bushes, until it headed toward his squad mates. Peter ran after the pig, and it bumped into Alicia.

"What the...?" Alicia said feeling something brush up on her leg. "It's a... pig?" she said, raising a brow.

"It looks like a Porcavian piglet," Isara clarified.

"It looks like our dinner!" Peter said, coming out from the bushes. The pig looked up toward Alicia, with those adorable eyes, crying out for protection.

"Awww..." she said, picking up the pig in her arms. "Did Peter scare you, little guy?" she said, in a comforting voice. The pig "moinked happily in response. Peter lowered his rifle, sensing that they were not going to kill it, or at least not yet. "What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" she asked.

"I'll go take a look around and see..." Welkin said. He looked in the bushes, and his eyes rose in surprise and gasped. "Oh my... There must have been a skirmish here. Looks like a stray bullet hit his mother..." Welkin said, sadly. Peter couldn't help but feel sorry for the animal, despite him being a hunter about to shoot it.

"You lost your family too, huh little guy?" Alicia asked. The pig "moinked" in response. "All alone..."

"Well, Alicia? Does he wanna come with us?" Welkin asked.

"Really?" Alicia asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Wait, we're _not_ going to eat him?" Peter asked incredulously. However, nobody seemed to hear him.

Alicia hugged the Porcavian tightly. So much for eating ham tonight... "Damn, I chase the pig through that stupid trail, and we don't even get to eat him?!" Peter whined.

"Wait, Peter... what did you just say?" Welkin asked, his attention grasped immediately.

"That we don't get to eat him?" Peter said.

"No! In fact, I just find that to be a very cruel thing, considering it's a very rare animal. But what did you just say before that?"

"I chased it through a trail?"

"That's it! Peter, show me the trail you followed Porcavian on," Welkin asked.

"Yes, sir!" Peter said with a salute. He lead them to the path. Peter watched as Welkin investigated. He went through the trail, and he went down, further in the forest. Peter and Alicia followed Welkin as he continued to follow the animal trail. After a couple minutes of traveling the path, Welkin, Alicia, and Peter all saw chain-link fences and some tents and buildings.

"This must be the supply base..." Alicia said.

"Yeah. This animal trail leads right to them. Let's go and tell Faldio. I"ve got a battle plan in mind," Welkin stated, as he followed the trail back to the rendevous point. Alicia followed close behind, while Peter stared at the Imperial base. There were several armed Imp soldiers, and even some tanks. Welkin's plan had better be damn good. Sighing, Peter adjusted his hat and moved back to the squad. One hell of a battle would be under way. This will be Peter's toughest mission, but things usually only get worse before they get better. But no matter the cost, Peter will do what he can to protect his friends. With his fellow Bruhlers, Peter felt like he and his squad could take on the world. But for now, he'll have to go for something more realistic. Peter now felt determined to take the Kloden Supply Base. His first mission in Squad 7 would begin...

**Okay, so that's that. I'll be going over this chapter for any mistakes, so please notify me of major errors. By major, I do not count typos, capitalization, or punctuation. Please review. Again, I'm not pleased wwith this. Maybe I'm just too hard on myself. I always fail to meet my expectations... so far, all I'm glad is that Peter is not a Gary Stu. If you have any tips or suggestions, let me know. Just ease up a bit on it looking like a flame. Please, please, PLEASE review. See the button down there? Click it. Don't be shy. But, seriously. Review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's been a while since I updated. I've been in the hospital for the last couple weeks, so I have reason. I promise, I will continue this story. Also I realize I've been a bit self-loathing in my author notes. The truth is, I just feel that I worry too much on what reviewers think. I mean, this story has gotten some relatively good praise, so I guess I should be happy about that. I apologize for any wait, and I hope there are still people interested in reading this. I had a hard time with the combat scenes, so if anyone would like to give me some pointers, please. It would mean a lot. Hope this lives to your expectations. And, here we go...  
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"Okay, 7's here's the plan. We'll be going through the forests and head to the supply base, and assault it head on. Faldio and Squad 1 will be going through the animal trail, and attack the base on their flank. Are there any questions?" Welkin declared. There was no response. "Okay, then. Let's go!"

Peter thought the plan seemed straight forward and effective. Then again, Peter worried that even though they have Squad 1 backing them up, how long would they last, attacking the place head on, and how prepared were they? Peter shook the thought out of his head. Everybody assembled in their positions.

"Peter! Susie! Noce! Scout out the area, before we move on!" Welkin said, pointing at the three.

"Yes, sir!" They responded.

The three went on through the woods first. Peter felt the loss of direction through the forest, and had to rely on a compass. Good thing his Bruhl friends were with him. Peter was glad he'd be doing his first op with Susie and Noce. They went through the thick foliage, Noce hacking down branches with a machete. The three explored some more coming across nothing but the repetition of trees, shrubs, and bushes. The occassion small animal running across the ground put the three on edge, for they didn't know if the nearby rustling could be a small squirrel or rabbit, or an enemy trooper. Noce and Peter found it especially difficult to traverse with Susie shrieking and whining every step they took. After what few minutes seemed like hours in the disorienting scenery, the trio then came across a dirt path. From behind a natural wall of bushes and tall grass, they could see a paved dirt road, with

"Look! A road! That leads straight to the gates of the supply base!" Peter noted. In the distance, the base could be seen. Chain link fences made a perimeter, and an open gate was at the roads center. "We can get the tank through here, and open a perfect offensive!" Peter was tempted to rush in, to see if it was too good to be true. As fate would have it, it was. Noce quickly pushed Peter back into the cover of the bushes.

"Not quite. Check out what's on the ground..." Noce pointed. Surely enough, the road was littered with mines, lazily covered with patches of dirt. Anti-tank, and infantry. If the squad went through this, they'd surely be torn to shreds. It was a trap.

"Not good. We need an engineer," Susie said. Peter and Noce looked at each other and nodded in agreement, the former pulling out his radio to contact the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Gunther, sir! This is Private Rothchild. We've come across a minefield. We need an engineer, ASAP!" Peter said.

"Acknowledged. I'm sending someone over now," Welkin replied calmly and collectively, perhaps more than what Peter was still used to.

Peter, Susie, and Noce waited. They were all getting a bit antsy, as they were just sitting ducks. However, they were hiding in a bunch of shrubs and bushes, making them hidden rather effectively. But that didn't really provide much encouragement. As he fiddled with his rifle Peter noticed from the corner of his eye Susie shivering.

"Susie, you okay?" Peter asked comfortingly.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine..." she mumbled. Peter knew it was probably just the upcoming battle she was worried about. It's ironic, really. He's the one always nervous before battle, and she comforts him. Yet, in combat, Peter can be relatively calm, yet Susie has a panic attack, and has been known to faint sometimes. Peter comfortingly put an arm around Susie, causing Noce to grow a suggestive smirk on his face. Peter mouthed a curse word at Noce silently. Then, they heard some rustling in the bushes. Noce and Peter raised their guns, but when they saw the colors of the Gallian Militia, they lowered their rifles with a sigh.

"You asked for an engineer?" Nadine cheerfully asked. Peter was seeing her in all her gear for the first time, and it was somewhat unusual for such a rather skinny woman to be holding all that equipment. Then again, all Darcsens seem to be slightly skinnier than most others.

"Yeah. There's a minefield over there. Mind if you take care of that for us?" Noce asked.

"No matter the cost," Nadine said. She pulled out some tools and carefully walked over to the minefields with much caution. She started on her first one and disarmed it successfully. Then another. And another. Things seemed to be going smoothly. However, Nadine nearly jumped, and was lucky she didn't trigger a mine, as she heard voices shouting.

"What the hell are you doing here, Dark-Hair scum!?" shouted a few Imperials. A small scout patrol happened to come across Nadine, and opened fire. Quickly, she disarmed the mine she was working on, and tried to walk back in the cover of the bushes, carefully. If she ran, she risked activating another mine. There was also the danger that if the Imps shot a mine, they could blow it up prematurely. Acting fast, with his instincts guiding him, Peter aimed his rifle at the scout patrol. When he actually got up from the shrubs though, then he started feeling a bit of pressure. There were four Imperial troops, two of them shocktroopers. All of them fired at Nadine, paying no attention to Peter and his group. However, Peter's hands just seemed frozen in place, unable to do anything. Thankfully, Nadine was a rather nimble woman, even with all the equipment and gear an engineer carries around. Noce was looking at Peter, wondering what the holdup was. Peter just couldn't shake the pressure and fear of failure. However, a bullet grazed through Nadine's leg, causing her to fall to the ground. She got up, but she dared not move any further, as a mine was in front of her, mere inches away. She was lucky it hadn't gone off yet, but luck still was against her. She was outnumbered, and being an engineer, she had very little combat training. Even worse, if a stray bullet hit a mine, she was finished. Still, she weakly grabbed her rifle and tried firing. Another bullet hit Nadine, this time in the arm. Letting out another yelp of pain, Nadine dropped the gun and sat helplessly on the ground awaiting her fate.

"No!" Peter shouted. Several heads turned in his direction, so Peter took his rifle and fired at the Imps. A scout fell to the ground, and the enemy turned their sights to Peter.

"I'm with you, Peter!" Noce exclaimed, as he joined in on the fight. Bullets were flying on both sides, and Nadine was lucky enough that the enemy focused more on Peter and Noce. As they fired, Susie was panicking, and she hid behind a tree. She shook immensely, and was almost about to faint, when amidst the gunfire, she heard some static and a voice speaking.

"I hear gunfire. Is something wrong? Status report!" Susie looked down and saw that it was her radio.

"We've encountered a patrol, Lieutenant Gunther! Peter and Noce are shooting at them! Nadine's wounded! W-what do we do?!" Susie cried frantically.

"Calm down, Susie! Okay, don't worry. I'm sending a medic. In the mean time, go and support fire for Peter and Noce! Nadine's life will depend on it! And if that patrol makes their way back to base, we'll be in a lot of trouble!" Welkin commanded.

Susie nodded, and closed the line, but when she picked up her rifle, she couldn't bring herself to fire. In the middle of the firefight, Peter dove over to a tree for cover, and reloaded his rifle. As he loaded his clip and pulled the rifle bolt, Peter noticed Susie having another one of her "moments" she used to have back in the watch. Peter walked over her to try and calm her.

"Susie, get a hold of yourself!" Peter said, raising his voice a bit louder than he usually would. Susie dumbly looked up at him, and Peter wasn't sure if she was now intimidated because there was a firefight, or if he yelled at her. "We need to save Nadine and take out the patrol. But can't do that alone. We need you to help us out, Susie... I need you to help us..." Peter said, more calmly than he previously said.

She shivered and raised her head, slowly. "O-okay. I'll try." She shakily picked up her rifle, obviously an item she'll never be used to until the war ends.

"What in Valkyrur's name are you doing?! I could use a little help over here!" Noce shouted, having been taking on the patrol by himself. He was behind a tree reloading, while the hailstorm of bullets pounded the tree, bits of bark flying everywhere. Peter couldn't help but chuckle, though Susie and Noce failed to see the humor in all this.

Peter joined in, while Susie followed. "Sorry if this hurts..." she said. She closed her eyes and fired, though her accuracy was horrible. However, her covering fire was better than nothing. She even managed to hit someone. Another one was taken down. Two enemy troops remained, a shocktrooper and scout.

"This is taking too long," Peter grumbled to himself. He grew rather impatient, and he didn't know how long Nadine could last, with her bleeding and all. He took an old EW1 model potato masher grenade and pulled the pin. "For Bruhl!" Peter yelled as he threw the grenade as hard as he could muster. The grenade went far, but one soldier was caught in the initial blast. He was killed instantly. The other had some small tears in that armor of his, indicating some shrapnel. The Imperial limped away, only to fall on the ground by the end on Noce's rifle. A smirk grew on Noce's face, as he blew the small puff of smoke from the end of his gun. The area was cleared, and there didn't seem to be anymore of them nearby. Hopefully the skirmish didn't alert more Imperials. Pray to Valkyrur that they could have that slight brush of luck.

"D-did we win?" Susie stuttered, finding the courage to open one of her eyes.

"Yeah. We won..." Noce said, looking around to see if there was anyone else. Nadine was still wounded, and on the ground. Peter wanted to get up and help her, but Noce grabbed the back of Peter's collar, yanking him back. The minefield was still up, and going any further would be suicide. Thinking quickly, Peter grabbed a Ragnaid capsule out of his pocket and threw it over to Nadine. With her good arm, she weakly reached out and turned the dial on the capsule's base, and applied it to her other wounded arm. It glowed a bright blue light, before the capsule's contents faded. However, she was still in pretty bad shape. It pained Peter to see there was nothing more he could do for her at the moment.

After a couple antagonizing minutes, two figures popped up from the bushes, both in Gallian uniform. One, a young girl with blonde hair, and a man with short dark hair and glasses. Peter quickly pointed over at Nadine, still on the ground in pain. The man in glasses, whom Peter assumed was an engineer, was disarming mines along the way, creating a path for the medic to get to Nadine. He disarmed the rest of the mines while he was at it. The medic applied some Ragnaid and a couple bandages on her, and helped her up to her feet, with the help of the other engineer. Nadine limped her way out with the assistance of her two friends. As she was carried away, she took a look at her saviors and she managed a smile on her lips and a thumbs up toward Peter, Susie, and Noce.

"Thanks for saving me out there..." Nadine said weakly. "I... won't forget it..."

As Nadine was evacuated from the area, Peter grabbed his radio. "Minefield is clear, sir. Nadine has been safely evacuated. Awaiting further orders," Peter said.

"Good work, Private. Wait for the rest of the squad to arrive," Welkin ordered, and the line was off. Peter holstered his radio, and did as he was told.

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About ten minutes later, the active Squad 7 got on location.

"The enemy's supply base is through these woods! Squad 7, move out!" Welkin shouted, as he got inside the Edelweiss. Small teams of troops moved forward in different directions, each taking on the defenses of the front, while the main team accompanying the Edelweiss drove down the front road. From there, the teams would form up at the gates when the Edelweiss was at the gate, and infiltrate it. And with Squad 1 taking the flank, the Imperials would most likely become overwhelmed. It seemed like a perfect plan. Not too far from the main road the tank would drive through, was a small fuel depot, with a few tanks bolstering its defense. Peter Rothchild's next objective, was there.

The scout party that was Peter, Susie, and Noce advanced on, with backup from a couple other soldiers from Squad 7. Peter looked at his fellow troops. Now wasn't really a time for introductions, but it at least helped Peter to know some of his squad members by face. One of them, Peter identified off the bat: Jane Turner, the florist who used to work at Bruhl. Peter wondered what her of all people would be doing in the Militia, but he merely guessed it was for some kind of revenge for Bruhl or her flowers or something. She was real... sensitive of her flowers. Numerous times, Peter and his fellow Town Watchmen almost arrested her because she ended up hurting people if they did so muched as sniff or pluck her flowers out of her gardens without her consent. Peter decided to shift visions on the next trooper: a young man his age with black hair, and some kind of... eye patch. But when Peter looked closely, it had a transparent glass piece. For what purpose it served, Peter had no idea, but it looked like some sort of goggle. And through that goggle, and the other unobscured eye, lied a determined and eager look Peter couldn't compare to that of any soldier he'd ever seen. Whoever he was, this guy was ready for battle. And the last person accompanying the group was a lancer. She was well built, and rather muscular than most women Peter had seen, and she had a look of pride to show for it. She obviously looked like a very capable woman, and and even more capable anti-tank specialist. Overall, Peter felt quite comfortable with this group. He and his fellow scouts should be in good hands.

"Okay, everybody ready?" Noce asked. Everybody nodded their heads.

The shocktrooper with the eyepatch dashed quickly in front of everyone, leading the group, with Jane close behind. Noce cursed and yelled something about no patience before he ran after them. Peter and the rest of the group stayed close behind the others. As they approached the small fuel depot, they saw a few armed soldiers, some loading Ragnoline fuel into the tanks, others fortifying their defenses. For now, everbody was pressed up against the wall of a small building, away from the enemy's sights. Noce peeked from around a corner and tried scanning the area, and evaluate the situation.

"I see... seven, no, eight armed personnel... and two active tanks... I'm not liking our odds here..." Noce said grimly.

"S-so we're outnumbered and out gunned?" Susie asked, shaking. She nearly collapsed, but Peter managed to catch her in his arms before she fell to the ground.

"Ha! Overwhelming odds? Not a problem for me! Here, this should level the playing field a bit!" The eye patch trooper declared. Reaching for his belt, the trooper pulled out a grenade. He eagerly pulled the pin from the bottom.

"Damn it, Vyse! This is no time for you and your heroics!" Noce scolded. However, it was too late. Vyse threw the grenade from around the corner, at a surprisingly impressive distance, and it landed right behind a tank. The grenade exploded, destroying the tank with it, and the area was filled with smoke and fire. Confused and frightened Imperials dashed around, trying to find out where the blast came from, and taking their battle stations.

"There! Now, the enemy is confused, providing a good opportunity to attack while they're off guard! I'm a hero!" Vyse said, clearly proud of his achievement.

"Vyse, all that hero bullshit won't mean anything if you end up getting us all killed!" Noce shot back. With a frustrated sigh, Noce gestured the team to follow him and commence the attack. The team went toward a sandbag wall, and took cover from there. However, Vyse's "heroics" didn't last long, for as soon as the Imperials heard gunfire, they shifted their full and undivided attention toward the team. Everybody on both sides of the fight opened fire. Peter Rothchild loaded his weapon and fired. When he fired the shot, Peter was amazed to see he was a lot more confident and sure of himself when in the company of others. Their presence invigorated and encouraged him. Peter felt teamwork was the key. Putting it plainly, if he keeps them alive, they'll keep him alive. He almost lost a friend earlier today. No way in hell Peter would let that happened to his newfound allies. So, he faught on. However, the tides turned when ten tons of Imperial steel rolled by the armored troopers.

"Damn it! Tank! Rosina, can you help take care of that for us?" Noce shouted.

The lancer woman nodded in reply, and readied her large weapon at the tank, as it slowly turned the turret in the direction of the team. "Take this!" Rosina shouted. The lance launched its payload straight into the face of the Imperial armor, and a blast of fire and dust was left after. Rosina cheered in her pride, but it was short lived. As the smoke cleared up, the Militia team cowarded, as they stared at the end of the tank's gun. Indeed the lance made a bit dent in the armor, but it wasn't enough to penetrate the armor.

"The thing's still standin'! Everbody, haul ass!" Vyse frantically yelled. Everybody did just that, and ran as fast as they could. The tank fired its shell, and thanks to some quick reacting, most of the team made it out okay. Peter and Vyse ended up getting knocked off their feet from the shockwave, leaving them sitting ducks. An Imperial soldier ran up to Vyse, bayonet in tow, but Vyse managed to wrestle him off, and take him out with his machine gun. He got up and managed to catch up with the others. Peter was still reeling from the blast however, and struggled to reach for his gun on the ground. An enemy soldier was closing in, and Peter took his gun, but as he pulled back the rifle bolt, the something far worse than his gun jamming happened; the rifle bolt broke off all together. Peter cursed loudly, and the Imperial tailing Peter was now standing over him, clad in devilish red armor, and his rifle ready to put a bullet in between his eyes. Since it was virtually useless now, Peter grabbed his rifle by the barrel and used it as a crude club, but the Imp officer reacted quickly and wrestled it out of his hands. Peter was now frozen in fear and shock. He had been disarmed, and was looking straight into the end of the Imp's rifle. Resigning to fate, Peter closed his eyes and waited.

"Get away from my friend!" a voice shouted. The sound of a gunshot soon followed, and for a second, Peter thought he was dead. However, the sounds of conflict and fighting were in the background still, so Peter knew he was still alive. He opened his eyes and saw the enemy captain, blood as red as his armor staining the front. Peter looked behind him and saw one of the people he would least expect: Susie. She had a look of terror on her face, as if she coudln't believe what she had just done. Peter never knew she was actually capable of taking another life like that, but there it was, standing right there. Peter got up, and unholstered a pistol from his belt. He worriedly looked at his friend, still in her trance-like state.

"Susie? Susie! Snap out of it!" Peter yelled. She blinked and looked at Peter, still regretful of what she did.

"W-what if he had children? A wife? Or other family? What have I done...?" Susie whispered.

"Susie, it's okay. People die in war. It just what happens... But you saved my life. Thank you," Peter plainly responded. She still didn't feel like moving though, and she was actually silently saying a short prayer to the would-be family of the Imperial she killed. With her refusal to budge in the combat zone, Peter extended his hand toward Susie. "Take my hand, Susie."

"What?" she asked.

"Take my god damn hand, Susie!" he repeated, until she did so. She gripped it tightly, and he did the same, wanting never to let go. The two nodded and ran. Ran as fast as they could, avoiding fire from the Imperials, and trying to catch up with the fleeing Militia team. For some, it was probably a strange sight for two soldiers to be running around, holding hands like children, but for Peter, it was just like back at home. In a way, Peter felt like a guardian. A protector. One who would do anything for his friends. And something of a brother to Susie.

Peter and Susie eventually caught up with the others. The Vyse was still freaking out about the whole tank thing, and Noce was trying to calm him down. Jane and Rosina merely stared on in silence. Noce turned his head to see Susie, and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Susie! Peter! Thank god and Valkyrur you two are okay. When I saw Susie run back for you, I thought you two were goners. No offense to you guys, or anything..." Noce greeted, coming up to pat them on the backs. However the reunion moment was interrupted, when the remaining Imperial soldiers and their tank continued tailing them. "Damn! Let's just pull out. We'll regroup with the others, and maybe we'll take care of these stragglers!"

However, Vyse got up and objected. "Why run? There's only a few of 'em left! And their tank is busted up! I say we fight!" Not bothering for any approval, Vyse ran straight toward the Imperial force.

"The kid's right! We should kill them all! Every last one of 'em!" Jane declared, as she followed Vyse, both of them guns 'a blazing. Rosina shrugged her shoulders as she loaded another Lancaar round in her lance and charged with the others. Noce face palmed, and follwed them, with Peter and Susie staying close behind. As the team moved in, the enemy's tank fired a shell. Thankfully it missed, causing some of the troops to stumble from the shockwave at best. Rosina aimed her lance at the tank once again and fired. However her eyes, as well as that of the rest of the team, were raised in shock when it was revealed that she missed.

"Damn it! I'm out of Lancaar rounds!" Rosina shouted. Some of the team despaired, but one still kept his spirits up.

"So? We can do this! Everybody, get your grenades! Throw them at the tank! I killed a tank with grenades, you can too!" Vyse yelled. He pulled out a grenade and tossed it toward the tank. Others did the same and pulled their grenades. They threw them all at the tank. Then, the first grenade went off, and as soon as it did, its brothers and sisters went off too. The result was a massive explosion, and pieces of metal and shrapnel flying everywhere. That was enough for the enemie's morale to go down. What little surviving Imperials left decided to retreat, and headed for the trees deeper in the forest. The team cheered at the top of their lungs, and fired their guns in the air.

"Hey! Cut that out! You're wasting ammo!" Noce scolded.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Noce! We just one! Take the stick out of your ass and live a little! Besides, who made you the leader of this group, anyways?" Vyse countered.

"Maybe because I chose to assert myself and take action with others in consideration. You seem to just rush recklessly and jump into a situation. Behavior like that will end up getting you killed," Noce responded in a very formal and professional tone. Vyse scoffed at the comment, and darted off toward the rendevous point, where Squad 7 commenced the attack on the main supply base with Squad 1. Peter curiously walked up to Noce, still slightly fuming over Vyse's argument.

"Hey, what's so bad about this Vyse guy?" Peter asked.

Noce put his hand in front of his face. "There's nothing exactly wrong with him... he's just one of those people who joined the militia for glory and excitement. He's one hell of a soldier, no doubt about that. It's just that he doesn't take orders well, and he is a bit... chaotic and unpredictable," Noce grumbled.

"Well, maybe that's just what the militia needs more of. I mean, he took out a bunch of soldiers and a tank no less. And since when did you become this drill sergeant kind of guy?" Peter asked.

"I... I don't know. Maybe it just comes natural. I always was a little like this back in the Watch. I guess over time, I just try to mold myself into a model soldier. Of course, Welkin is too naive to notice things like that... He's too...." Noce trailed off thinking and mumbling things under his breath.

"Huh. You sound just like Dan. He got into the whole 'soldiering' thing too. It's... changed him. Just don't lose yourself in it, Noce. I'm a soldier, and I'm still me," Peter responded. Noce took a sigh in thought and merely nodded. Noce walked off toward the rendezvous point abrubtly and left Peter alone. Susie caught up with Peter, who was still standing where Noce left him. Peter raised his head and acknowledged Susie's presence, but didn't bother saying anything. He started walking off, when he was halted by something tugging at his arm. Peter looked and saw Susie gripping his hand. She gave a slight smile, causing a smile to grow from Peter's own lips. He chuckled at the old times like this. Hands locked again, Peter and Susie walked together to regroup with Squad 7 in the final attack.

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By the time Peter regrouped with Squads 1 and 7, most of the supply base had already been evacuated. What resistance remained was crushed. The Kloden supply base was taken shortly after. Peter Rothchild's first operation with his new squad had been a success.

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**So how was it? Was it worth the wait? Probably not, but please tell me what you think! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. I'm kind of worried though. Most stories in the VC section that feature OCs as the main character often end before they get started, so I'll admit; I'm a bit worried for this story's future. As of right now, this is my second biggest project ever. However, this seems to be relatively successful, so I should be thankful for that. Anyway, this is the next chapter; just more composition and character development, I suppose. And by Valkyrur, this is long! But on a side note, I am getting very conflicted over how to write some of the future scenes in the story. Should they be more based on the Anime's events, or the game's? Each has its own interesting events and stuff, so I sometimes make two scenarios and try to decide which is better. So what should I do? Make certain events based on the Anime or game? I've already incorporated elements from both, so I'll try mediating for now. Well, here's the next chapter. **

**Note: Lots of Darcsen loving, hating, and of course, Cezary bashing. Because he sucks.  
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It's been about five days since Squad 7's victory in the Kloden Wildwood. Everybody was currently enjoying their respite until the next mission would be given. For now, the daily life of the 7th Platoon progressed as normally.

_"RING RING! RING RING!"_

Peter Rothchild groaned as he smashed the top of the alarm clock near his bunk, trying to get the infernal contraption to shut up. He lazily got up and removed the sheet off his bed. Peter could see several other squad members getting up from their bunks and getting dressed. Peter did the same, as he opened the nearby suitcase, changing into his uniform. As Peter was fully changed out of his pajamas, he looked up at the bunk above him and saw Noce was already gone. He must've woken up early. Ever since Kloden, Peter and Noce were a bit uneasy. Sure, they talked and still hung out as friends, but there was just the slightest bit of tension growing, more on Peter's side than Noce's. Peter is worried for him as a friend, and hopes he can lighten up a bit. War does things to people. Inside the vicious circles of war, people lose even themselves, in more ways than one. Peter shuddered at the thought. He shook his head, attempting to clear his head of any horrid thoughts. He put on his traditional blue hunting cap and slipped the Bruhl Watchman's shawl over his uniform. He packed his sleepwear and left with the crowd exiting the sleeping quarters for the morning role call.

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Following the role call, Peter made his way toward one of the places he surprisingly dreads most; the mess hall. It seemed strange, and even Peter couldn't believe it. Walking through the mess hall actually terrified him. It sort of made a first impression. On the first day he ate breakfast here, he had already made a few enemies; something Peter was never used to. Ever since that day, he often found himself actually avoiding his Darcsen friends, known sympathizers, and strangers. He always stuck to his Bruhl friends, or those he deems trustworthy. It was unfair to some, sure, but quite frankly, he didn't want to get his ass kicked by Cezary, Rosie, and whoever else were in their little group. Peter got in line and quickly selected his food items, often checking left and right if he was being followed. Peter's pride would prevent him from admitting it, but the sad truth was, he was getting paranoid. Only being around others, such as his friends, provided a rest from worry. Taking his tray, Peter walked on, searching for a table where he'd be in good company. Most days, Peter sat with his friends from Bruhl, or with Susie and her friends. Other times, Peter would sit with his Darcsen friends, whom are thankful that he is willing to be openly kind to them. However, Peter only did so when the Darcsen haters were nowhere in sight. Peter looked on, until he saw a familiar couple; an engineer with glasses... sitting next to a young woman, her hair in the shade of Darcsen blue. They were Karl and Lynn. Peter gulped. He was tempted to sit next to them, but looked around to see if there were and grey haired snipers, or red head shocktroopers about. No one has hassled Peter in the last few days, so he merely shrugged his shoulders and walked to the table. Upon setting his tray down, Peter was greeted by the smiles from the couple. They were an odd pair; a rather shy and meek fellow, and a tough as nails shocktrooper. They were almost opposites. Then again, opposites do sometimes attract.

"Peter! It's good to see you again!" Karl said. Lynn nodded and waved in agreement.

"Hello Karl. Hello Lynn. Good to see you guys too," Peter said, picking up his utensils and cutting into his food.

"I haven't seen you in the last few days. Is something up?" Lynn asked.

Guilt swelled up in Peter. After all, he had been purposely avoiding these people in the last few days. He waited before answering the question, and he was unsure whether it was because he was unsure of how to reply, or because he was still chewing his food. In the end, he plainly replied with, "I've... I've been busy these past few days," he said hesitantly before stuffing another forkfull of food in his mouth. Peter could tell that they weren't entirely convinced. Peter took the front of his cap and covered his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at directly in theirs. Peter tried changing the subject. "So how's Nadine been? Is she alright?" Peter asked, remembering the Darcsen engineer he befriended a few days ago.

"Oh. I hear she's still in the medical bay. She's getting better though. I think Mina said that she should be coming out soon," Karl said. Peter sighed with relief. She looked in pretty bad shape when she left.

"You know, I'm actually to have met you, Peter. It's so refreshing to meet someone who can willingly admit to being kind to Darcsens. I'm glad people like you and Karl can be brave enough to do something like that," Lynn said, smiling at Peter then at Karl. Brave? Not exactly the first word Peter would use for himself at the moment. That comment actually got Peter thinking on something though. Brave is certainly not the first word he'd use to describe Karl, based off of his meek nature, and what others have said about him when he's in combat. Perhaps there is something in that comment that shows what Lynn sees in him that others don't.

"Well, well, well... Would you look at this!" said a painfully familiar voice. "Hey, Lynn! Who's your new boyfriend? Finally decide to leave that coward?"

"Damn my luck..." Peter said, facepalming.

"Look, Cezary. Leave us alone. Peter is a good friend of mine, and my love for Karl is as strong as ever," Lynn said calmly and assertively.

Cezary only laughed. "HA! Don't give me that 'friend' crap! You're probably cheating on that lame excuse of a soldier, Karl, for this guy! Typical of you, you Dark-Hair slut!" Karl, Lynn, and Peter all gasped. Peter wanted to step up and say something, but fear of Cezary and his friends kept his lips sealed. Cezary continued. "I guess besides the stink, the awful hair, and the horrible misfortune you bring on everybody, I suppose you got a pretty face. I mean, I can't see any other reason why these guys would stoop so low as get near some bitch like you!"

"God! Leave us alone!" Lynn shouted. Some of the people in the mess hall turned their heads. However, seeing as this was another "routine" Darcsen spat, they turned their heads uncaringly back to what they were doing. Lynn normally would have stood up to Cezary by now, but at this point, she was completely mortified, and at a loss for words. This was clearly one of Cezary's more harsher hate-speeches.

"What are you gonna do about it, Dark-Hair?" Cezary asked, feeling victorious already.

"I'm sorry, but I believe she asked you to leave!"

Several surprised eyes turned to the voice who said those words. Karl got up from his chair looking face to face at Cezary. It was clear that Karl was afraid. He was shaking, and his shorter stature from Cezary didn't help much either. Peter couldn't believe it. The supposed Coward of Squad 7 stood up to Cezary, and Peter was still fearfully sitting with his thumb up his ass.

"What did you just say to me?" Cezary replied, and and annoyance dripping from his voice.

"I... I asked you to leave. N-now, I think we can resolve a peaceful-" Karl was shaking and every word seemed forced against his will. However, his 15 seconds of fame ended, and before Karl could finish his sentence, Cezary shoved him, causing him to fall hard to the ground. That was it. Peter couldn't take it anymore. Seeing his friends pushed around wasn't worth any deal of physical pain or humiliation. Peter got up from his seat and confronted him.

"Cezary. Get the hell out of here. Now. Or else..." Peter said, hate and anger in his voice. They were emotions he never really used, but emotions everybody had somewhere nontheless.

"Well lookie here! Finally decided to grow a pair with your friend, eh Rothchild?" Cezary said mockingly. "Care to back up those words?" Cezary asked, producing a switchblade from his pocket.

Peter's brows furrowed, but he managed a slight smirk. He pulled out a hunting knife from a sheath on his belt, a blade about twice as big as Cezary's. Heads turned everywhere, and a crowd was forming around the two.

Cezary's brows went up in surprise, and the smug grin was wiped from his face. Grumbling, he put the switchblade back in his pocket. "Eh. Whatever. I'm done with you guys. Besides, the stink is really getting to me," Cezary said aloud. He then glared at Peter, and in a more hushed tone he said, "Don't think that this is over, Rothchild..."

Cezary left the area. With a deep sigh of relief, Peter sheathed his knife back on his belt, and sat back down with Karl and Lynn. Both of them were in shock and awe, as Peter casually continued eating his meal.

"Peter... that was..." Karl stuttered for the right words to say. "Just... wow. Thanks!"

"Karl's right, Peter. Thank you. You're a real friend, standing up to Cezary like that," Lynn added.

Peter sighed deeply. He knew that he'd do anything for his friends when they're in trouble. It's a protective instinct he'd developed over the years. However, the truth was, Peter was still afraid of the uncertain future; that of himself, and his friends. And Peter felt as if he doesn't deserve such compliments. If he were a real friend, he would hang out with any of his friends, regardless of what others might make of it. He would've stood up to Cezary the moment he saw him, instead of cowering in shame. He was conflicted, yes, but perhaps he was just being hard on himself. For now, Peter would just go with the latter and play along. "Hmph. He was the real coward. It was nothing," Peter plainly said. For now, he took in the compliments and praises he received from his friends, as he ate his food.

* * *

Peter felt as though he had some debts to pay to his Darcsen friends for avoiding them the past few days, so after eating and saying his goodbyes to Karl and Lynn, Peter headed toward the medical bay. He didn't have doubts or fears anymore, after standing up to Cezary. Peter felt Cezary's true colors were revealed, and a weight lifted from his shoulders. Peter made his way through to the medical bay, where a young woman with blonde hair sat at the front desk. Peter saw it was the medic who helped Nadine out of Kloden.

"Uh, hello. You must be Mina, the medic?" Peter asked, approaching the desk.

The girl looked at Peter with a confused stare. "What? My name is Fina," she corrected.

"Oh. Anyway, I'm here to visit someone. Her name's Nadine. She's that Darcsen girl you saved back in Kloden."

Again, the girl furrowed her brows in confusion. "What are you talking about? I've never been to Kloden," the medic responded.

Peter was now getting confused as well. "Erm... never mind. I think I have you confused with someone else. Can I just see Nadine, please?"

"Heh. Don't worry. I get that a lot," the medic said, as she looked through a list. "Nadine... here we go. She's currently in Room 5. Third door on the right, down that hall," she said, pointing Peter in the right direction. Peter nodded and thanked her as he went on his way.

Peter walked through the white halls until he came across a door with a number 5 posted by it. Peter opened the door and saw Nadine laying down on a hospital bed. She was conscious, and seemingly okay. Peter could see Nadine's right arm bandaged up and in a cast. Sitting next to her was Wavy, and Isara, who was reading some kind of book. All the eyes shifted their attention to Peter, and he was greeted by brightly lit eyes, and cheerful smiles.

"Peter! It's good to see you," Wavy said, standing up to shake his hand.

"Hello, Peter. How are you?" Isara asked, laying her book on her laps.

"Me? I'm fine. But how's Nadine? She alright?" Peter asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, thank you," Nadine said. Peter sighed, and took a seat by Isara and Wavy.

"Hows your arm?" Peter asked. He recalled the time where she took a shot that went into arm, and it was bleeding profusely, on top of her other wounds.

"It's getting better. I should be taking this off in a couple days," she said, motioning her cast. "I should actually be thanking you. I was bleeding pretty badly. I would've lost too much blood, and by the time the medic could've arrived, I probably... might have died. But that Ragnaid capsule you threw me baught some time until the medic arrived. So, you saved my life Peter. You're my hero," she added with a laugh. "Thank you."

Peter waited a moment, letting the thought sink in. He saved someone. Saved **their life**. Normally, he'd be a nuiscance, an annoyance, a distraction, or he would just stay out of it all together. But no. He actually saved someone. What a difference all this has made. A simple change of squads changed Peter from an insibordinate friendly-fire prone soldier, into a hero. Perhaps "hero" is too strong a word for now. "Decent soldier" seemed to fit Peter's tastes more suitably. "I, uh... well, you're welcome..." Peter said, not really sure how to respond to that.

"It's a real bummer though. I haven't been able to write much with this flimsy cast. Luckily, Isara and Wavy are here helping me out on that."

"You write?" Peter asked curiously. This prompted a proud smile from Nadine.

"Sure do. I majored in Literature in the University. In my spare time, I try writing my book. It's a... romance 're actually a bunch of short stories, but I plan on emphasizing them as I go on. It's not perfect, and it still needs work, but I pour my heart into it. Would you like to read some?" Nadine asked. Peter wasn't one to read romance... or many books at all for that matter. However, Peter sometimes found it compelling to follow the adventure of another's life, regardless if they were fictional or not. And of course, Peter didn't want to be handed the book she was reading to Peter. It was just a rather unassuming and modest journal. A quick flip through the pages showed sketchy paragraghs, proofreading marks, and several scribbles.

"It's a great collection. Nadine worked hard on these, and I think you might like it," Isara commented.

Not really bothering with reading whole stories, Peter flipped through random pages and read a random exerpt...

_"The woman stood by the cliffs' edge, looking at the shining moon in the midnight sky's distance. It was like the first time they met. That one fateful night marked the beginning of her happiness. Somehow she could almost see his face embedded somewhere in the starry skies, promting her further for her decision. She had made her decision. She had to be with him. She was nothing without him. His death caused her more pain than that of all the weapons of the Imperial war effort. Even if this couldn't reunite them, she had no intent on living anyway. She slowly inched closer to the edge of the cliff, making her life changing, or life ending rather, choice..."_

"Wait... Is she going to kill herself?" Peter silently thought. He made a mental note to read the beginning, but right now, he was hooked on the current paragraph.

_"She jumped. She saw the the world around her falling fast around her. She made no screams. She was not afraid. She made her decision. What was done, was done. She closed her eyes, and awated her impending fate. She muttered the words, 'I love you.' Everything in her world went black..." _

"Is that it? What happens next?!" Peter thought, like a young child reading a storybook. He quickly turned to the next page.

_"She opened her eyes. There was nothing but a flash of white light, for a moment, she was sure she was dead. The light had soon faded, and her eyes came into focus. A window... a dresser... these things were... familiar. However, it all came clear, once her mind had been set straight. This was... her room. She looked down to see she was in her nightwear, and beneath the blankets of her own bed. She scratched her head in confusion, but then, she saw the one thing that brought happiness into her soul. There he was. Sleeping soundly behind her. _

_"Wha...? What is all this? Was this just... a dream?" _

_Her wonder was interrupted when he rustled next to her and woke up with a yawn. Immediately, she embraced him tightly, wishing she'd never have to let go. _

_"Please! Don't ever leave me!" she pleaded. Either he was confused, still groggy, or both. He couldn't really understand the true meaning of her words, but he yawned and smiled._

_"I would never leave you. I'll always be at your side..." _

_She still wasn't entire convinced, considering he was still half asleep, but then she heard a soft snooze. She looked to her side and saw he had fallen asleep on her shoulder. She then started laughing. Laughing at the whole situation, and how it was all just a bad dream. _

_"You know, I wonder if I am really dead. Because this is certainly what my heaven is like." _

_She looked at her love softly sleeping and smiled, before she herself succumbed to slumber, her dreams with him, never leaving her side."_

"My god... that... was beautiful..." Peter muttered. Nadine smiled, quite pleased with the reaction. Peter was no expert on literature, but by at least his standards, that was very intricate writing.

"Once again, it's still sketchy, and still in production. Heck, I haven't even bothered to write in names yet!" Nadine said. Peter eagerly flipped pages, reading the next of Nadine's tales.

* * *

Peter spent the next hours reading and conversing with Nadine and her friends. The origins of the stories were interesting. The first story Peter had read, was actually based an experience Nadine had with the one she love. His name was Robert, a major in Engineering from Nadine's university. However, she had lost contact with him since the war started. This no doubt has caused Nadine some distress. Eventually, Peter had enough story telling for one day and bid farewell to his friends. Of course, as fate would have it, Peter saw two people glaring at him. These weren't the usual people that messed with him. One of the people, Peter recognized. Rosina, the lancer from his team back in Kloden. The other person was a man Peter had never met before. The two approached him, and Peter had a feeling that they weren't coming over for a nice chat.

"So... you like hanging out with the weak and inferior?" Rosina asked.

"Uh... What are you talking about?" Peter asked, confused.

The man smacked the hunting cap off of Peter's head, grabbing his attention. "Don't play dumb with us!" the man exclaimed. "We know you went and saw those little Dark-Hairs over there. You've got the stink all over you."

"Hey! Don't mess with the hat! This is a special hat!" Peter exclaimed, picking up his father's hunting cap and placing it back on his head. "Seriously, what the hell do you guys smell that I don't? Seriously, this is getting old..." Peter said, quite frustrated with all the Darcsen bigots out here. He just so happened to gain all the attention from these people, who wanted nothing more than to make every Darcsen and their friends a living hell.

"You think you're funny now? I'll show you... Oh, and by the way, Cezary sends his regards," the man said, rolling his sleeves.

At the mention of Cezary's name, he knew that these were probably his cronies, so instinctively, Peter went for his hunting knife. However, it was too late. The man punched Peter in the gut, causing him to fall to his knees in pain. Peter was on the ground in a feeble position, grasping his stomach. The two standing above him were laughing at his misery.

"Ha! Pathetic! You are weak! If you stopped hanging out with Dark-Hairs, maybe you could take the time to work out and be able to take a hit like that!" Rosina laughed. "Hehe. C'mon, Theold. I think the kid's learned his lesson for today..."

Rosina, and the man addressed as Theold turned to leave. Before leaving though, Theold turned and grabbed the cap from Peter's head and tossed to the ground before stomping on it. He laughed once more, then left Peter lying on the ground in pain. Peter managed to gather the strength to get up to his feet. That was going to leave a bruise... "Hmm... Rosina and Theold. Note to self: Bitch and asshole, repsectively. This just adds on to the list, doesn't it?" Peter thought to himself. He picked up his prized hat, poofed it back up, dusted it off, and placed it back on his head. "Okay, maybe I _do_ have doubts and fears now..."

* * *

Peter wanted nothing more than to escape the all the pain and humiliation. What courage he had gained standing up to Cezary had been shattered to peaces. He had more than enough action for the day. In fact, he would've taken a day of active duty over this. Peter used his strength to go to the one place he knew he could find comfort and feel safe. He went near the barracks, and entered the unused office room where Susie and her friends often hung out. He found the door and entered. He saw the sight of several familiar faces. Susie, Edy, and Aisha were conversing with each other as usual. Homer was sitting next to Edy, most likely getting smacked around. As usual. However, the room was filled with the most wonderful scent. It was so familiar too... Peter smiled when he saw his fellow Bruhler Alicia Melchiott holding a basket of her freshly baked bread. She was handing them out to the people in the room.

"Oh, hi Peter!" Alicia chirped. The other girls and Homer turned their heads and waved at Peter. Susie came over and hugged Peter. By now, Peter was somewhat used to being hugged by Susie in front of others, but he can't help it if his heart skips a beat, or his face turns a slight reddish hue. However, he silently wished Susie would ease up on her grip this time; his midsection was still sore from Theold's hit.

"It's so good to see you again, Peter!" Susie said. She took his hand in hers, promting another blush from Peter. Thank Valkyrur he was wearing his uniform gloves; his palms were a bit sweaty by now. Susie guided him to a seat next to her on one of the sofas in the office.

"Ooh! You have to try this bread Ms. Alicia made! It's delicious!" Aisha commented.

Alicia waled over to Peter, her basket in hand. Nothing could ever beat the smell of fresh bread, Alicia's especially. "Here, Peter. I made this batch. I know I'm a soldier and all, but I'm still a baker too! I'm worried I've gotten a little rusty though, so could you give me an honest opinion?" Alicia asked, handing a piece of bread to Peter.

Peter smiled. He knew the taste of her bread all too well. He also admired her dedication to her dream, even in all this conflict and war. "Heh. Alicia, you make the greatest bread in all of Gallia. No doubt you'll be a great baker. You've got nothing to worry about," Peter said, as he took a piece of bread. Alicia smiled at her friends support. Peter downed the bread fast, and rather greedily. But then, Peter gagged. And was coughing. Alicia's smile disappeared.

"Uh, what's wrong?" she asked. She was responded with more coughing and gagging noises. Alicia frowned sadly. "Oh no, is the bread really that bad?" she asked. Peter managed to shake his head, but the coughing and gagging proceeded.

"Is... is he allergic to anything?" Aisha asked worriedly.

"I don't think so... Peter, what's wrong?" Alicia asked.

"Ooh! I love this game!" Edy exclaimed.

"I'm ch-cho... cho..." Peter only managed to sputter out those word fragments incoherently. They looked at him oddly. Realizing words were useless, Peter tried demonstrating by grabbing Homer's throat and shaking him violently.

"Ooh! Ooh! I know! You're choking!" Edy said, proud of "winning."

Alicia's eyes went wide, as she grabbed her friend by the waist and pressed tightly. She tried pushing again. At this point, she was trusting her arms in his stomach like Theold's fist. Then, a piece of bread was coughed out of Peter mouth, and he gasped as a breath of air finally filled his lungs. After several huffs and breaths of air, Peter sat back on his seat on the couch.

"You guys... *huff*... are idiots!" Peter yelled. Alicia and Susie winced a bit at the harsh comment, but they couldn't really blame him. It did take them a while to figure it out, and they did feel a little silly for not figuring it out earlier. Edy on the other hand took it the wrong way.

"Hey! I actually got it right!" she said, very annoyed. Her palm met his face as she slapped him.

"Damn it! What the hell?!" Peter exclaimed, holding his bruised, red cheek. Everybody stared at Edy, and her face turned a similar hue to Peter's cheek.

"Whoops. Sorry. It was a natural reflex... What I meant to do was, this!" Edy explained, as she backhanded Homer, causing him to fall off the couch and on the ground.

"So Peter... before you ended up choking... how was the bread?" Alicia asked.

* * *

Rough day. He had seen his friends ridiculed, pissed Cezary off, made new enemies, got severe stomach pains, had his father's hat ruined, nearly choked to death, and got slapped. Peter just wanted to be alone now. It was about 15 minutes until it was time for bed. Peter picked a secluded corner behind some crates. No one was around. He sat on the ground and leaned against the crates. Peter reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a flask. Peter had to take particular care to make sure no one found this item. After all, Peter wasn't of legal drinking age. He'd have his ass court martialed if someone found this. Peter unscrewed the cap on top and took a sip of his whiskey. He wasn't exactly a drinker. He never got drunk or was an alcoholic or anything like that. He didn't even like the taste of it. It merely eased a tension off his shoulders. The effect was more of a mental thought if anything.

"Hey, buddy. Does uh, that stuff really help ease stress?" a voice asked.

Peter nearly jumped, and he tried hiding his flask behind him. He saw that the voice had come from a girl around his age. She was sitting right next to him. Had she been there the whole time and Peter hadn't realized it? Peter sheepishly took the flask back out.

"Well... I guess. Maybe..." Peter stuttered, unsure of how he should responded.

"Do you think... maybe... I could have a sip?" she asked.

Peter was relieved that she wasn't going to rat him out about the alcohol. He handed her the flask. She took it and reluctantly took a small sip. She immediately gagged a bit before swallowing it. Peter smiled, remembering that was his reaction when he first tried it. Regretting her decision, she handed the flask back to him. He took another sip himself, and he gagged slightly as well. He chuckled before screwing the cap back on and putting the flask away. He and girl both sighed at the same time. He looked over and noticed the peculiar red headband on her head.

"Nice headband," Peter said.

The girl lifted her head and looked at Peter. From the looks of it, she seemed really down, however she was brightened up a little by the comment. "R-really? Wow. That's the first nice thing that's happened all day... Thanks... It's my dad's. Nice hat by the way," the girl replied.

"Thanks. This was my dad's too," Peter said, particularly proud of his hat. Peter liked her headband too. Peter often liked when people wore non-regulation clothes with their uniform. It makes them unique, After all, Peter did have his shawl and hat with him at all times. "But what do you mean 'the first nice thing that's happened to you?'" Peter asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"My luck's been horrible..." she mumbled.

"Yeah... I've been having my streak of bad luck too..." Peter said with another sigh.

"You could never understand _real_ bad luck..." she said again in her sad, depressed tone.

"Really?" Peter said with a smile. "Try me."

The girl noticed the red hand imprint on Peter's face. She let out a chuckle and extended her hand out. "I'm Claudia. What's your name?"

"Name's Peter. Nice to meet you. I take it you had a crappy day today too?"

Just when she opened her mouth, the voice on the intercom blared, signalling all the troops to return to their quarters and call it a night. Claudia let out a frustrated sigh and laughed. "Just our luck, huh?"

Peter could only nod, as he and Claudia came out the corner. Peter headed toward the men's quarters and to his bunk, and with it, the respite of sleep. "Yeah... just our luck..." he mumbled.

* * *

**So, Peter's unlucky, huh? I'm a bit concerned that I clogged this chapter with useless tidbits that detract from the story, such as Nadine's story. That was taken from another fic of mine, by the way. So depending on reviews, I may redo this chapter. Anyway, please tell whether I should do Anime influenced things, or game influenced. There aren't many OC stories in the Valkyria Chronicles archive. It seems to be a dead-end genre here. So fingers crossed, until I get the next chapter under way. Please review!**

**P.S. School will be starting in about a week, so expect updates to slow down a bit. I'll try to get the next chapter before the summer's end though. Until next time!**

**-Mr. Wang  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have to truly thank you for the reviews. I had doubts and fears on this story, but all that's behind me now. I'm doing a good job, and I should be proud of it. Not too proud though. We don't want to get over our heads and be cocky all of a sudden... Anyway, I read most people picked for me to stick with the game influences. I see your reasons, and quite frankly, I'm glad. The anime changed a whole lot of things that make not quite up to the standard the game did. And so many powerful and intense moments and character developments were ruined, or changed dramatically. And I recently watched episode 20. I'm not going to bother watching my language, but that was the most fucked up episode I ever watched (both in good and bad ways). This is just my respective opinion, however. That said, I'm still hooked and can't stop watching the show. Moving things along, I'll be doing the next chapter which will have some small character development (What a shocker). It does pave way for important things in the future of the story however. I kinda like these little scenes with Peter and Squad 7 though. These "slice-of-life" moments that ArtilleryImbecile so aptly named, are fun and interesting to write. What I love about this, is that the more I write, the more I see Peter making the change into the story and game nicely, as if I could see him as an actual character on the show or game.**** Hmm... I need to shorten these author notes... Okay, I'll shut up now.  


* * *

**_"Ring Ring! Ring Ring!" _

Peter Rothchild's arm slowly reached out and tapped the button atop the alarm clock. He didn't bother to lift his face off the pillow. All he wanted to do was sleep. Just a few more minutes... However, the loud and annoying ringing sounds persisted. Accepting the fact it was now time to get up, Peter lifted his body off the bed and slienced the clock. He could see more people around the barracks getting up. With a yawn, Peter went to his case of personal belongings and changed into his uniform. The usual wake-up routine. After he was changed, Peter went over for the usual morning role call. Peter prayed that there would be something going on. A mission, something, anything. It would give him something to do, plus Peter didn't really want a repeat of the previous day. Peter's midsection was still bruised up, both by Theold's hard hit, and Alicia's Heimlich routine. At least Edy's handprint faded a bit. Peter rubbed his cheek and sighed, as he followed his fellow Seven's to role call.

* * *

The mess hall. Again. Peter shuddered at the awful memories that ensued here yesterday. The ridicule of his friends and himself... the pain and humiliation... and how Peter almost had to stain his father's knife in blood. He walked through the aisles and lines, keeping a grip on his hunting knife, watching for Cezary, Theold or Rosina. Rosie didn't seem like such a threat as she did at first, leaving Peter in relative peace. After collecting his food items and the usual, Peter had to select his seat again. Peter found himself once again lost in the sea of people, lost. He couldn't hear himself think at the moment, and this was one of the other things Peter despised about the mess hall. One of these days, Peter should just take the tray and eat outside... Amongst all the chattering and noise of the mess hall, Peter managed to faintly hear his name being called in the background.

"Peter! Over here!"

Peter kept looking all around him past the crowds of people and saw a hand waving over to him. As Peter pushed through the crowd, he saw it was Noce, along with Susie. Peter let a smile grow on his face, knowing everything would be alright in the company of his Bruhl friends. Quickly checking left and right for anyone who looked like a Darcsen hater or complete jerk in general, Peter gladly took a seat with his fellow townspeople. Upon taking his seat, Peter exchanged the usual hug with Susie. Seeing her face again seemed to take away from the worry of seeing Peter's enemies, if only for a while at least. Peter's attention turned to Noce, who looked somewhat more cheerful and easygoing than he did in Kloden a few days back. At least he was smiling now.

"Peter. It's good to see you," Noce stated rather plainly.

"We kinda left on a rough note though, didn't we?" Peter said, wanting to settle the tension between them. Noce face was distraught between a look of annoyance and shame.

"Look, Peter. It's not your fault or anything. It's just... I'm a soldier. It's just how I am. I do my duty, and do what's best for my country. If my attitude is serious, it's because war is serious." Peter sighed, shaking his head.

"Noce, you might be a soldier, but remember; you're a lot more than that. You're a town watchman. You're a writer. Hell, you're a poet who has a soft spot for romance, and I think there's nothing wrong with that!" Peter exclaimed. However, had it not been Nadine's stories, Peter might still have poked fun at Noce's writings. "Look Noce, just be yourself. Or else I me and Susie here might lose a good friend we once knew, and you don't even need to be injured or wounded..." he continued.

Noce sighed deeply. "Maybe you're right. But we can't all be strong like you, Peter. We can't all be jokesters like Ted or Melville. And we can't all be easygoing and naive like Welkin... This war... this is the real deal, you know? I have to really step it up. To protect Gallia... my friends... the ones I love..." Noce said, trailing off. Peter noticed Noce's eyes, gazing into the distance at the opposite side of the mess hall, where a familiar red head scarf could be seen. Peter was already well aware of Noce's infatuation with Alicia, though he had little luck winning her over in the past. Peter was glad Noce was opening up a bit, but it appears he would remain somewhat of a stuck up guy for now.

"You know, maybe you're in the wrong squad, Noce. My old commander would've loved you..." Peter joked. Despite the slight anoyance on his face, Noce still managed a grin on his face.

"Should we tell Peter about the mission, Noce?" Susie asked, whom remained relatively quiet throughout Noce and Peter's conversation.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Noce said, nodding his head. "We might be getting another mission today, Peter."

Peter gave out an almost immediate sigh of relief. Thank Valkyrur his prayer had been answered. Though, Susie and Noce were a bit confused by Peter's reaction to the news. Quickly focusing back to the topic at hand, Peter asked, "Another mission? Where are we going? What's the objective?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. We might be headed out to the Barious Desert."

Peter's brows furrowed in thought. "Barious... you mean that place with all the ruins and stuff?" Peter asked.

"The very same."

"Then what the hell are we going there for? There's no strategic worth there, is there? Just a bunch of rocks and sand!" Peter said.

Noce shook his head. "I know. I have no idea why Welkin accepted this operation. We should be on more important matters. Then again, if it's important enough for Captain Varrot to send out Squads 1 and 3 across these badlands with us, something big must be up."

"Squads 1 _and_ 3? Huh... I might be able to say hi to Dan, Lizzy, and all the other guys..." Peter said, looking forward to this operation.

* * *

Peter regretted ever thinking that good could come out of this operation. Just a few hours after departure from the base, Squads 1, 3, and 7 were traveling in convoys, spreading all across the sandy plains of the Barious Desert. Each squad was assigned to scout out and patrol a certain area of the desert. Peter hasn't even seen any combat, and he already hated every minute of Barious. It was so damn hot... There weren't enough transports for all the active reserves for Squad 7, so some soldiers took turns riding in the trucks and APCs, while the rest walked on foot. The heat... Peter only knew the moderate climate of the northeastern Gallian plains, and this was something Peter was very unaccustomed to. Only about an hour into the trip, Peter had used up all the water in his canteen, and no way in hell he'd drink from his flask while commencing an operation. It was so tiring, walking under the blazing ball of fire that dawned in the sky above everyone's heads. During the initial trip, Peter got a chance to ride in one of the trucks for a little bit, and while it didn't save him from the heat, it did provide a bit of rest for his legs. Plus, the squad took breaks every now and then to eat some watermelons to keep them hydrated, compliments of Largo the farmer. Other than these small breaks and respites, the only mercy Peter got, was the shade from the front bill of his hunting cap. Another thing Peter hadn't counted on was the dust and sand. It was possible that Peter had allergies. Throughout the day, Peter was sneezing and the dust and sand kicked up from the winds often got up in his eyes. Peter had his watchman's shawl wrapped around his head, covering the lower half of his face. That would at least somewhat help in the breathing dust problem. For Peter, Kloden was just a walk in the park. The desert was unbearable.

After hours of traveling, the sun was setting, and there were no signs of any Imperials. Several members of Squad 7, including Peter, were becoming discouraged, believing that this whole operation was just a fluke, and there were no Imps here after all. After some consideration, Welkin decided to call it a night for his squad. They were already tired, and he knew it would be impossible to make much progress in the night. That, plus the extreme conditions of the desert were kicking in, and soon, what was once blazing heat, was now freezing cold. Welkin had his squad unpack and set up tents from some of the cargo trucks for them to sleep in for the night. They managed to find a clearing next to the edge of a cliff, providing a clear view of the expanse of desert before them. Soon, they set up the tents, and their temporary base was set up. And not a moment too soon, as the moon became clearer, the sky darker, and more sparkles of light dotting the night sky.

Throughout the evening, Peter was tired, but ironically was doing even more work than hiking through the desert. He had to help prop and set up tents, build campfires, move crates of supplies and such. Even though it was freezing cold, Peter found it somewhat more bearable to work in, in contrast to the heat. The watchman' shawl that prevented dust from getting in his face, acted as a nice makeshift scarf. Besides, he needed something to do to try to focus his mind on. All the better just to forget the past troubles Peter's been having. But in the middle of transporting cargo out of a truck, Peter noticed Susie sitting by herself next to a campfire on the cliffside. Peter hesitantly put down the crate on the ground. He looked around for anyone nearby. He didn't need anymore people, "insinuating" on their supposed relationship. But most people were snoozing in their tents. There were few people outside. A couple of the guys including Largo, Karl, and a couple of younger twins were playing some card games. Alicia was baking more of her bread. And a few random people Peter hasn't seen before were talking. But everyone seemed focused on their activities, and payed no attention anywhere else. Sighing, Peter strolled over to Susie's location.

"Uh... Hi, Susie..." Peter managed to mumble. Susie gasped jumped up in surprise. Realizing she might not have recognized him, Peter lowered the shawl that was covering his face, and Susie sighed, relieved it was only him.

"Oh! Peter! I wasn't expecting you here. I thought you had went to bed like the others," Susie said. Peter merely smiled and shrugged. He took a seat on a nearby stool. The two sat in a relative silence together. It wasn't exactly an awkward silence, but something of a peaceful silence. The view of the midnight horizon added something of a unique awe of the moment right now. However, even with the nice tranquility of the moment, silence was just a bit something too much to bear.

"So, Susie... what exactly are you doing here?" Peter asked. It was a rather random question, but Peter probably knew the answer. He was doing right now, too.

"I'm just... looking at the stars," Susie said. Peter didn't know why he bothered asking. They were quite a sight tonight. And Susie used to have a fascination with them back at Bruhl. "They look beautiful tonight. The clouds are clear. The moon is bright... It's quite a lovely contrast to the current situation right now..." she continued.

"Heh. Never really thought of it that way..." Peter mumbled absent-mindedly.

"I mean, I find it truly beautiful, that despite the war, and all the evils surrounding the world, some things stay beautiful. Something just as simple and pure as the night sky..."

"Yeah, I guess..." Peter said, never removing his gaze from the horizon as she spoke.

"It's... kind of sad though. I mean, this is possibly the last time we ever see these stars. So every night... I gaze in the at the night sky, somewhat as a distraction from the harsh reality of war... and savor it's precious moments..." Susie finished with a sigh.

"Susie..." Peter whispered. He never really heard her speak passionately about such things. He never thought that a single concept such as a star could be perceived in such a way. There were still some things Peter didn't really get, but it was nice for Susie to speak out like she did. She was normally very shy and timid, even around Peter.

For a while, the two sat in silence once more. Eventually, Susie's hand went and gripped Peter's, and he did the same. Everything seemed so perfect... until a thought ran into his mind that actually scared him a bit.

This scene just so happened to seem very similar to one of Nadine's stories.

Without a second thought, Peter quickly retracted his hand away from Susie's, as if her hand were a hot stove. She gave Peter an odd look, and Peter himself wondered what had gotten into him.

"Peter? What's wrong?" Susie asked with a concerned look.

"Oh... that..." Peter mumbled. He had to come up with a lie. He couldn't just tell her straightly why he had done that. "Oh, I kinda cut and got splinters in my hand when lifting those crates. It's still stings a bit..." Peter wanted to mentally slap himself, thinking he could've come up with a more clever excuse than that. However, much to Peter's relief, she baught it.

"Really? Are you all right?" Susie asked.

"No, no, I'm fine. Really. I'm sure it'll be better by tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay..." she said. She continued her gazing, but Peter had noticed she was shivering a bit. Her arms were wrapped around herself, trying to provide warmth. She has been for a while, but it only took until now for Peter to realize it.

"Are you cold?" Peter asked. There was a lingering chilliness in the air, thanks to the desert, no doubt.

"Kind of..." she said, smiling slightly.

"Here, take this..." Peter said, as he took off his shawl and wrapped it around Susie's neck, somewhat like a scarf. It was no blanket, but it would at least help her keep warm better.

"Won't you be cold?" Susie asked, offering the shawl back.

"Nah, I'm fine," Peter lied. No he wasn't. It was freezing, and he knew it. Thank goodness there was a camp fire nearby. Without the crackling warmth it provided, Peter might have had to take his shawl right back. Smiling, Susie took the shawl back and wrapped it back up on her. Suddenly, Peter needed to mentally slap himself again, just for making the situation weirder for himself. "Hey, Susie... I'm going to hit the hay. I guess I'll see you tommorow, alright?" Peter said, getting up from his seat.

"Oh. Well, okay. Good night, Peter," she said, giving him a hug. Peter returned the hug, trying to repeat the words "we're just friends" over in his head.

Peter bid farewell, and retreated to one of the tents some of the squad members were sleeping in. Peter carefully unrolled a sleeping bag from his backpack of equipment and laid it on the ground, taking care not to wake his fellow squad mates. Not bothering to crawl under the cover, Peter lied down on top of it. He lied there, thinking.

_"How the hell could we have been so naive? Now I see why Noce and the others think there is something going on between us... We're just friends, but we subconsciously do all this stuff a couple would do. But why does the stuff we do have to be romantic? Or percieved as romantic? Is Susie aware of any of this? No, she was just as naive as me. Was she? Great Valkyrur above, I need help..."

* * *

_

**Hehe... this was fun for me to write. Peter's in denial... or is he? Or is _Susie? _Or is she? Okay, enough of this crap. I'm kind of experimenting the whole relationship between Peter and Susie. It could be friends bordering on romance and stuff, but their relationship does play a significant role in the story. Once again though, I'm still tossing things around. Still, I won't need your help this time. I can figure it out on my own (no offense). I also apologize if the beginning was rather rushed and and a bit rusty. I know this chapter might have been rather short in comparison to other chapters, but please review. Reviews will be used to add firewood to the stove. And with a bigger fire, I can make my bread/chapters better and more efficiently!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again. With school and stuff still going on, I'm having little time to update. In fact, believe it or not, I work on this almost everyday. I just write a couple hundred words or so before I get back to more important issues. That, and Writer's Block. You know, writing combat scenes and action is really hard. I often worry (maybe too much) that it comes off as weird or something. Anyway, I hope you'll continue to have patience and enjoy this next chapter. I didn't get a lot of reviews for last chapter, but that doesn't concern me much. However, not to nag or anything, but if I don't get reviews, I'll assume I did something wrong, and that you guys don't comment on it. However, I'll try my best. On a side note, I realize that Peter and Susie's relationship does swing to a more romantic side. Now, I am aware of that. But I kinda realized that their relationship might sorta be like Welkin and Alicia's; it's obvious from the beginning that they'll be together, yet not until near the end of the game do they actually announce their love for each other. I realize I may have given slight spoilers for my own story. Yeah, I know. I'm a plot ruining bastard... Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Peter groaned, as he opened his eyes. Temporarily blinded by the morning's light, Peter rubbed his eyes, until he could gain a bit more focus. He lifted the front of his hunting cap off his face and looked around. The tent was empty, leaving behind nothing but a couple sleeping bags and light furnishings. Assuming the others might have gotten up by now, Peter adjusted his hat once more got up from his sleeping bag. Peter noticed a little pile of blue cloth on the ground beside him. He picked it up, and recognized the color and patterns as his watchman's shawl. He remembered giving it to Susie last night and must have forgotten to take it back. At least she was nice enough to give it back. However, at the mere thought of last night, Peter could not shake it out of his head so easily. What the hell were these feelings? A crush? No... The stuff he felt around her did seem similar to stuff he had read recently... Peter had to stop reading Nadine's romance stuff... Looking to for the nearest distraction to keep his always confused, conflicted, fearful, and otherwise troubled mind occupied, Peter put on his shawl around the lower half of his face like a mask, and left through the front flaps of the tent. Peter was greeted by the intensely hot sun he so frustrated with, along with the other element he came to despise. Dust was flying rampantly through the air, and at least the shawl helped against breathing all that in. The vast Barious Desert could be seen from the view of the cliff. Grassland, plains, beaches, forests, deserts, mountains; Gallia just seemed to have it all. Peter strolled across the sand, until he noticed the majority of the squad huddled up around the Edelweiss, with Welkin standing atop, giving orders. Peter headed toward the crowd to have a listen at what was going on.

"Okay, Seven's! The enemy has been spotted north of our current positions! I want some scouting teams and snipers to go on reconnaissance and determine the enemy's numbers. We know that they have infantry and tanks, so proceed with extreme caution!" Welkin said.

* * *

Eventually, the scout teams were assigned at random in no particular order. Peter suited up his light scout's armor, and got his gear together. Snipers took their positions, using the vantage points along the cliff. Scouts and troopers hiked down the slope that led toward the ground, where there was nothing but a vast plain of sand, with strange walls and rocks dotting the landscape. Peter met up with his two team mates. One of them was someone Peter recognized. It was Melville Young, the squad renowned jokester. Peter remembered punching him on his first day with Squad 7 for wisecracking about him and Susie's relationship. Other than that, Peter didn't know Melville personally neither has he served with him yet. The second, was a person Peter never met. She was a young blonde haired woman with glasses. She had a somewhat confident, yet anxious look on her face.

"Uhh... Hi. I'm Peter," Peter said, trying to introduce himself. He lifted down the cloth covering his face, in order to have a proper and polite introduction at that.

"Hey... I remember you... You're that guy that hit me!" Melville stated with slight annoyance.

"Look, I was tired and grouchy. And you on top of that... I kinda snapped. I'm sorry," Peter apologized. At that moment, Peter wondered why, of all people, Melville just so happened to be the first person he'd ever hit. Peter would much rather it have been Cezary or Theold. Melville merely responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Hello, Peter. I'm Corporal Juno Coren," she said kindly and professionally. She extended her arm, and Peter shook her hand. Her shake was firm and not too strong or weak. Like that of a leader. Kind of strange for a girl. Well, maybe except for Captain Varrot. Then again, Peter never really shook hands with any women but Varrot.

"Nice to meet you, Juno," Peter replied.

"Okay, so there's a line of trenches northwest from here. We could probably go along those lines, and in case we meet up with any enemy forces, we can have some cover. We'll need all the help we'll need out here. Okay guys?" Juno stated. Peter nodded and gave a half-hearted salute, while Melville shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. "Okay then, let's move out!"

The three trekked across the seemingly endless sea of sand. The hot sun continually shone it's unforgiving rays on them, and Peter's hat didn't really do much in terms of shade, but it was better than nothing. Anything that could fend off the heat would be much appreciated. Peter found it especially hard to navigate with the sand kicked up in his eyes. The gusts of wind, as well as some sand kicked up by his comrades made it hard for him to see. Trying to avoid this, Peter looked down toward the ground, hoping the wind and sun would be somewhat less irritable. As the boots from Peter's uniform sunk beneath the sand's surface, Peter noticed something peculiar on the ground. He saw footprints embedded into the sand. Juno and Melville were ahead of him, but unless the two were taking several baby steps, it seemed that another person was traveling here.

"Hey guys, hold up!" Peter shouted. The two halted in their tracks and looked back. Peter knelt down on one knee and inspected the foot prints. He looked at his own boot's footprints, and tried comparing that to the footprints ahead of him. Two of the sets had the same imprint as his, so Peter could safely assume they were his team mates'. However, there seemed to be at least four other sets of footprints nearby, bundled up and overlapping in their prints. They also were going in a different direction from the path Peter's team was going. As Peter got a look of them, he saw that they seemed shallow and and it was difficult to make out the bottom soles of boots in the sand. Then again, Peter barely saw the other prints to begin with. However, he could deduce that they definitely weren't Gallian. But why were they so weathered... Then, Peter looked back at the footprints he, Juno, and Melville made. He planted his boot like he would while walking next to a print, and his more recent footprint could make out little details much better. However, the details on both were still rapidly deteriorating, and sand was kicking up. Peter suddenly realized that the winds were making the footprints disappear. Without so much as notice to his fellow militia, Peter rapidly followed the path, leaving the two puzzled as to what he was tracking.

"Peter? Where do you think you're going?" Juno asked, both in an assertive and confused manner.

"Follow me! There's a trail, but we have to hurry! This wind is fading it! We don't have much time!" Peter responded. Like a bloodhound following a scent, Peter tracked the trail like he would an animal in the forest when hunting. He continued following the prints, as they rapidly faded away. If the wind could erase them this easily, then these Imperial tracks must be a lot more recent than Peter imagined. He wasn't distracted by dust, the wind, the sun, or anything. His focus was entirely on tracking. He even didn't bother to look up from the ground. Tracking was one of the fundamentals of hunting, and Peter was damn good at it. Juno and Melville had no idea what Peter was doing, however, they had no leads on any Imperial positions. They knew he must be on to something, so they really had no choice but to follow him. Amidst the horizon, Juno and Melville could see something behind some old ruined walls that probably used to make up a building. Peter was still following the prints, not paying attention to what they were seeing. Suddenly, Peter was yanked on the back of his shirt collar and dragged into a nearby trench. He could see Juno and Melville in the trench too, the latter releasing Peter. "Hey, what gives?" Peter asked.

"Look!" Melville stated in a hushed manner. He pointed toward the horizon, and saw a small squad of about seven men clad in grey armor patrolling the area.

"Imperials! Damn it, these assholes just don't leave us alone, do they?" Peter groaned in frustration. "What the hell are they doing in Barious?!" Peter asked.

"I... I don't know," Juno said, adjusting her glasses and putting a hand on her chin. "Barious has no strategic value whatsoever. It's completely barren and desolate. The only points of interest are maybe a couple small settlements, and the old ruins. I would have imagined the Imperials would save this place for last, rather than waste the manpower to invade a hot desert where the elements are unforgiving," she continued in a "as a matter of factly" tone.

"Yet here they are... and I don't think they came here for the fun in the sun, otherwise they should've gone to the beach..." Melville said, dryly.

"So... what do we do? Any ideas?" Peter asked.

"I'll contact Welkin on my radio," Juno said, with a slight hint of enthusiasm. Peter found it a bit odd, but merely shrugged it off. "Welkin! It's me, Juno. We've encountered a small team of Imperial soldiers. I think I see about seven of them. What should our next course of action be?" she asked.

"I wouldn't recommend engaging the enemy right now," Welkin responded. "I can't spare many reinforcements right now. I'll try to send backup as soon as I can, but I'll try to send a sniper to your region for now. For now, tail them. When the sniper sees the enemy, they'll open fire to thin them out. When the Imperials' numbers are weakened and they're confused, catch them off guard and fire your own guns," the Lieutenant continued.

"Yes, Sir!" Juno said, cutting off her radio. "Okay guys, you heard him. Try to sneak around. Let's go."

Peter and Melville nodded, and followed Juno. Peter found Juno to be somewhat like Noce, no nonsense and such, but she seemed a bit more laid back and at ease. He kind of admired that. The group proceeded carefully, having to abandon their cover from the trenches to follow them. They took whatever cover they could find; a ruin wall, a dug up trench, or the occasional large rock. Their concept of "sneak" right now was just hopping from one area of cover to the next, and pray the Imps don't find them. Luckily, the Imperials seemed to be focused on going to their destination. However, not even a few minutes after following the group did Peter, Juno, and Melville see something off in the distance.

"Um... What the hell is that?" Melville asked.

"I... I don't know. I've never seen anything like it..." Peter said, now completely ignoring the Imps for a moment to focus on what was in the horizon. It looked like it was some distance away from them still, but it looked like some weird kind of bluish building build in the middle of nowhere.

"Could this be... the Barious Ruins?" Juno asked incredulously, adjusting her glasses to see if she was seeing right.

"Barious Ruins? I thought the Ruins referred to all these old walls still sprouting from the sands," Peter commented.

"No. I heard about these ruins back at a class in my university... Could this be what the Imperials are going for?" Juno suggested.

"You're guess is as good as mine," Melville shrugged.

"What would they want with them though?" Peter asked.

The trio decided to drop the issue and continue their pursuing the Imps. As the group followed the the Imperial team more closely, they got a better glimpse of the building. It definitely was some kind if ruin, as intricate runes, glyphs and patterns were dotted all over it. What did this have to do with the Imperial's presence in Barious? The Imperial team soon stopped, and stood attention and the entrance. What was going on here? Just then, the group overheard some Imperials talking. Trying their best to remain quiet, Peter, Juno and Melville hid around a corner to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"What are we doing here again?" asked an Imperial.

"I dunno... Why would Maximillian himself order us out here? All there is is this big ruin here. Why do we have to waste our time just to stand watch here?" said another.

"Maybe it has to do something with the Valkyrur..."

"Valkyrur?! That's just a damn fairy tale and you know it!"

Just then, the sounds of gunshots rang through the air, and the two Imperials went on alert.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Damn it! The Gallian dogs found us! I knew Maximilian was a fool!"

Footsteps were soon heard after that comment, and the three Gallian Militia soldiers raised their weapons. Luckily, the Imperials headed the opposite direction. Figuring that this might be their sniper backup, the group headed toward where the two Imperials were running, quickly taking cover behind a wall, and peering from the corner. The Imperials were confused and frantic.

"Where the hell did those shots come from!?" an Imperial in red armor shouted.

"I... I don't know sir... I think it came Southwest of our current location..." an Imperial soldier stuttered.

"Useless! All of you!" the captain yelled. "Sniper Patrol 2, what's your status, over?" he said, grabbing a radio. "Sniper Patrol 2, report!" he repeated. "Damn it!" he cursed, throwing the radio to the ground. In that instant, another shot pierced through the air, and before he knew it, the captain was now lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Aaah! It's the enemy! Find them!" a soldier yelled. However, as soon as the words left his lips, a sniper round went through his head.

The remaining Imps scattered, trying to find cover. Peter, Juno, and Melville readied their rifles, waiting for when right time to strike. However, that moment came a bit early when an Imperial tried finding cover behind a wall... the very wall the Gallians happened to be hiding behind. The Imperial hid, pressed up against the wall, before pausing. He slowly turned his head and was looking straight at them.

"It's an ambush! Gallians!" the soldier screamed. Peter's first instinct came, and he fired shots from his rifle at point black range to shut him up. However, the Imperials who were level headed enough to hear their dying comrade and not focused on running from the sniper came running at his location.

"So much for a stealthy ambush..." Peter muttered. "Time to go!" he yelled, tightening the grip around his rifle and running like hell.

Juno and Melville followed, and they too held up their weapons and opened fire. The sprawling Imperials tried firing back, both at the new threat of the Gallian squad, and of the Gallian sniper still lurking about. The scene was extremely chaotic, as shots fired in several directions, people yelling things indistinctly, and the winds kicking up more sand, making it even more harder to see.

"C'mon, work with me here!" Juno said, as she fire her rifle at the Imperials.

"I think I see him! The sniper!" an enemy scout yelled. He fired his rifle until he emptied the clip in the sniper's supposed direction up on a cliff. Peter caught attention of this, and while the Imp missed, the Gallian sniper ran off. "I think I scared him off!" the soldier yelled. However, his small victory was short lived, as several rounds from a Gallian rifle went into his chest, as he fell backward, dead.

There were three of them left, and one of them was retreating. Bullets continued their flurry across the area, and soon, the two remaining Imperials who were foolish enough to remain where they were, would soon meet their demise as well. Peter reached on his belt and took a grenade. He pulled off the safety and saw the white string dangling. Peter firmly grasped it and pulled it. He then chucked the grenade as hard as he could. The ensuing blast that came a couple seconds after that claimed the lives of the remaining Imps. As the team moved along, the sounds of the firefight, were once again replaced by the eerie sounds of the flowing wind. Other than that, it was silent once more.

"I think that's the last of them..." Juno said, sweeping the area for any stragglers.

Peter grabbed his radio. "Hey, thanks out there. That was some nice shooting," Peter commented, addressing the sniper who helped them. However, the only response he got was silence from the other line. "Um... Hello...?" Peter asked.

"Eh, don't sweat it," Melville said. "Probably just Marina. She's a real silent and lone wolf type. But even then, good 'ol Ted still tries to chat with her..." he said with a chuckle, reminiscing on some of those times.

"God damn it, this wind is really picking up..." Peter said, as he put away his radio. His blue cap flew off his head, and was now gliding at the mercy of the wind. "Not again..." he mumbled, remembering other times this happened yesterday.

"Need some help with that, Peter?" Melville asked, following Peter, not to help him, but to watch him struggle getting his hat from the wind, which was quite amusing.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Cezary Regard was priding himself in recent kills. He may not be much of a fighter, but when he did kill enemies, he found it to be a very challenging and rewarding sport. He especially like to picture some of his enemies on place of the people he was shooting, such as the squad's stinking Dark-Hairs, Karl, or that little shit, Rothchild. He was just ordered to help a small team somewhere in the northwest region. He objected to it, but orders were orders. He went over and encountered an enemy sniper clad in red armor, in close range; perhaps a bit too close for Cezary's taste. He quickly dispatched him with his rifle. Looking at the body, Cezary presumed him to be an enemy ace captain. Pathetic. He heard some radio chatter on the sniper's body, but paid no attention to it. He looked over the cliff the enemy was positioned on, and saw a vantage point. Several Imperial soldiers patrolling around some weird huge Ragnite ruin. Cezary had no clue as to what this thing was; for all he knew, it was just some place all the ancient Dark-Hairs called home. He took aim and fired at some weird loudmouth captain in red. After that, he fired another shot and killed another Imp. Cezary chuckled at the thought of putting a bullet in Wavy's head. Soon after, the team he was ordered to defend came out and opened fire on the remaining soldiers. However, an Imp seemed to spot Cezary, and tried firing in his direction. Luckily, this guy was a horrible shot, and Cezary was able to make a getaway without a scratch. But before he left, he made sure to grab the ace's rifle. It was a nice gun, and aces usually had modified and superior weaponry compared to normal Imperial grunts. It was a pretty nice souvenir. He ran off leaving the team to take on the rest.

"Heh... I'm sure they don't need my help anyway. I already did my job..." he mumbled.

Sure, some would think he was a coward. He'd never actually say it to their face, but he would agree with them; after all, a coward's path is a safe path. As he trekked back to base, Cezary heard some voices coming on the other end of his radio.

"Hey, thanks out there. That was some nice shooting," the voice said. Cezary immediately stopped in his tracks. It was Rothchild. "Um... Hello...?" Cezary was tempted to respond with a witty Dark-Hair related insult, or yell a number of expletives. However, something far more insidious crept up his mind. Cezary hiked back toward the cliff where he had just sniped the Imps. He came across the body of the ace. He searched the pouches, but found nothing, except maybe an military ration and a photo of his family.

"Bastard didn't even pack any extra ammo with him. This dumbass deserved to die..." Cezary mumbled in frustration. He couldn't just use his own sniper rounds. Otherwise, it would probably be easy to trace back to the snipers of Squad 7, if not proving Cezary guilty altogether. He pulled back the rifle bolt on the stolen Imperial rifle and saw there was a round still loaded in it. "Okay, one shot left... what kind of havoc can I wreak?" he chuckled.

He aimed the rifle looking for his target. The damn sand flying everywhere didn't help, but by now, Cezary was used to it. He saw Juno, but she wasn't really of any consequence. He then saw two other people. The first was Melville, and tempting as it was to shoot him, he wasn't the focus right now. The person next to him was none other than Peter Rothchild. He could recognize the crappy blue hat anywhere. However, the wind picked up even more, and it was harder to see from a sniper scope, even for Cezary, who grew up in these sands all his life. All he could make out right now was the color of the blue hat, faintly recognizable in the sandstorm. Cezary decided to try and aim for that...

"C'mon... stand still for a minute, Rothchild..."

* * *

Peter was getting extremely frustrated. Not only was his hat swaying back and forth, but also, Melville was merely pointing and laughing at his misfortune.

"Are you gonna just stand there, or are you going to help me out here?!" Peter yelled.

"Jeez... Well sorreee...." Melville said, catching up with Peter, now helping him. It turned out to be a very stressful task for the both of them combined. When one of them was close catching it, the wind carried it slightly from their reach. This went on for a good five minutes, until Melville took a huge leap and caught it. "Ha! Caught it! You owe me one, Peter!" Melville commented.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shot rang out and the next thing Peter knew, Melville was one the ground in pain.

"Sniper!" Peter shouted. He dragged Melville along the ground, until the both of them were hidden beneath a trench. Juno joined the two and occasionally peeped her head above in search of the sniper.

"I thought we got them all!" Juno exclaimed.

"You okay?" Peter asked to a distraught Melville.

"What the hell does it look like?! Does it look like I'm okay?!" Melville yelled.

"Okay, okay, calm down! Where are you hit?" Peter asked.

"My ass!"

"... your ass...?"

Sure enough, it was becoming very red around Melville's bottom. However, it still took Peter and even Juno several moments to process the information they were just given. And when they were done processing, they burst out laughing.

"Aw, thanks a lot guys. You know, they say laughter's the best medicine, but now that I'm being _laughed at_, I think I died a little inside..." Melville said in feigned sarcasm."You know, this really hurts... I'm gonna die now probably..." he said in a more serious tone.

"C'mon, Melville," Peter said trying to hold back a last laugh. "It's not that bad. I don't think you're bleeding _too_ much. There's a million other places that you could've been hit that would be worse."

"Worse?! How could it be worse?! I can't sit now for like... a week!" he retorted.

"Would you rather not be using you legs? Or be dead altogether?" Juno asked.

"Eh... When you put it that way... but from where I'm standing, not being able to sit still sucks..." he said in sarcastic resignation.

* * *

A couple hours later, Peter, Melville, and Juno were all picked up from their location, while Welkin, Alicia, and Faldio Landzaat, Squad 1's leader, explored the ruins the former trio discovered. Peter, Melville, and Juno all got to base, where Melville was taken to the medic's tent. Juno went to her tent to rest for the day. Peter, deciding it would be fun to see Melville again, went over for a visit. He entered through the cloth flaps at the front and saw the blonde haired medic, Fina, as well Melville face flat on a bed with several bandages wrapped around his rear.

"Oh, hello. Are you injured, or are you just visiting?" the medic asked.

"No, I'm fine Fina. I just came to see my good buddy Melville!" Peter said, matching the infamous sarcasm of his "friend."

"Fina? No, my name's Gina! Don't you people ever get it right?! God!" the medic asked, flailing her arms in frustration. Peter was once again confused. It seems that every time he met this woman, she takes on a new name and looks as if she's never seen him before. Peter dismissed this however, not really having the patience to discuss it right now. He walked over to Melville.

"So... how does it feel to get shot?" Peter asked, he himself actually curious.

"Yeah, actually it's great. I'm on this thing called 'morphine' now. Awesome," Melville responded, his annoyingly famous sarcasm still present. Just then, Peter, Gina, and Melville all heard frantic footsteps running in the medical tent.

"Melville! Melville, you okay?!" said a young man. Peter and Melville recognized him as Ted.

"Hey, T-Bone! Good to see ya!" Melville said, still lying on his bed.

"I came as soon as I could! When I heard you got shot, I was like, 'oh crap!' You okay? Where were you shot?" Ted asked, panic in his voice. However, his frightened eyes trailed from Melville's face, to where all the bandages were wrapped up. "Oh, dude, that sucks..." Ted said, a held back smirk forming around his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah... It's not so funny when it happens to you! Just wait... One of these when you're trying to talk to Marina... BAM!"

"C'mon, man. I know her. She's not that kind of gal. Seriously though... is he gonna be okay?" Ted asked, his attention shifting toward the medic.

"Well... When the bullet was fired, it penetrated into and out of Melville's left buttock, then went in and out of his right buttock..." she said.

"Can you not say the word, 'buttock,' because I personally would take you more seriously if you said 'ass' or just 'butt,'" Melville asked.

"Wow..." Ted said, putting a hand on his chin. "I never thought I'd see the day when someone gets shot once, and they end up with four holes in 'em..." Ted joked. At this, Peter and even Gina couldn't help but laugh. Melville's brows furrowed, but even he knew that he couldn't stay mad at Ted for long, so he laughed with them.

"Alright..." Gina said getting more serious. "Listen, I have more people to attend to out in field. Do you need me to get you anything when I get back?" she asked.

"Could you get me some ice cream please?" Melville asked.

"Ice cream? Erm... okay, what flavor do you want?"

"It doesn't matter... it's for my ass..." he stated plainly.

Once again, the room was full of laughs until Gina could calm down.

"Okay... I'll just go grab an ice pack..." she said, as she went through a nearby box of medical supplies.

"So, I guess I'll be going then..." Peter said, turning on his heel toward the exit.

"Hey, thanks for helping Melville out there, man. It means a lot," Ted said, shaking Peter's hand.

"If he could really help me, he would've taken the bullet for me instead!" Melville exclaimed.

"Don't worry. He doesn't really mean it..."

"Yes I do!"

"Well, goodbye Peter. See you around."

Peter nodded and waved one last time to Melville, and the medic, whom Peter doesn't really care what her name is anymore. It's as if there was three of them... Shaking his head, eliminating such ridiculous thought, Peter exited the tent.

* * *

Upon leaving, Peter was once again greeted by the hot sun. Though it wasn't as intense as it was earlier in the day. It was early evening, and the sky was painted in an array of brilliant strokes of red, orange, yellow, and pink. The winds were persistent as always though. As Peter walked along the base of tents, Peter noticed several more people on base than usual, and most of Squad 7 was out deployed in the desert. He saw some of these people were from Squad 1, and that made sense since their lieutenant, Faldio, was out exploring the strange ruins with Squad 7's leaders. Some of these other new people looked strangely familiar. As Peter walked on, he could see Susie Evans off in the distance. She was talking with two other people. As Peter walked closer to see who they were, one of them turned their head and looked at Peter.

"Holy crap, Peter!? Is that you?!" the young man said.

"What the hell... Dan?!"

* * *

**So, the little reunion I just made now will continue on the next chapter. About 5,300 words long seems long enough, and I don't feel like writing anymore. I really wanted to update this, and it's been almost a month since I last did. It is really hard to write action in this, and some of these characters were really hard to write. I had a hard time writing Melville and Ted, trying to make them joke around, but I kind of made them more generic and serious than anything else. Still, they have their humorous moments, and the way I see it, they only joke around when around each other. Sorry if it's OOC. Same with Juno. I had difficult times writing her, and she turned to be more generic as well. Cezary was surprisingly fun to write. It was interesting, and I was seeing how many ways I could make him the complete douchebag. This was probably the hardest chapter I've ever written. But if I thought this was hard, I'm gonna meet my Everest with the next chapter. Speaking of which, I hope you'll have patience for the next chapter. Thank you for reading. Please review. Any other questions, comments, or suggestions for the story, review also. Thanks.**

**~Mr. Wang  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again. Thank you for clicking on Chapter 9 of "Ordinarily Extraordinary." I thank you all who reviewed, but I apologize if I've been a bit nagging for reviews. Sure, it gives great encouragement, but sometimes I forget that a story doesn't need a high review count to be great. And some readers might like my story, but they don't get a chance to review (myself included). So sorry about the repeated asking. It helps knowing you're doing a good job, or if something's wrong, you'll get the helpful constructive criticism. I guess I got my hopes a bit up, and tried setting high standards. On another project I tried doing, and ended up getting 41 reviews by chapter 8. However, that project ended up getting scrapped, and I actually worked twice as hard on this than I did on the other stuff. Anyway, this is my next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy. It's my longest chapter to date. It's just a lot of character development and plot devices. Don't worry, my next chapter will have action and drama and all that good stuff. Also on a side note, everyone on Squad 3 is an OC. So no Squad 7 members who haven't been included so far. However, this does mean I'll try to fit as many of the Squad 7 members as I can, and even if they're just small cameos. Strangely enough, I give a background story for each OC, even if they only have one line. If you actually care, drop down to the VC section of my profile and take a look. I like OCs, but no offense, OCs are often overlooked as is, and we don't need Mary Sues littering the VC archive like we have been recently. I'm not giving names, and I'm not saying Peter is perfect (in a good character way or Gary Stu way) but I still at least attempt to craft this character to be believable. I only know of one other OC that isn't a complete Sue, maybe another. Everyone else is, or they haven't really developed them yet. What ever you do, please don't think I'm full of myself... And on another note, two OCs from chapter two make an appearance and play major roles here. You probably remember Dan, right? But what about Elizabeth? Unless you're a recent reader, if you need reference, I recommend re-reading chapter 2. It's optional, but being honest, it might detract from the story, though it can be used as reference to characters you might've forgotten about. Okay, for real this time. Enough of the Author Notes already...  
**

**

* * *

**Peter was still dumbfounded at the site before him. His old long time friend from Bruhl and Squad 3, Dan, was standing before him. Alongside him was, Elizabeth, another friend Peter had from Squad 3. Elizabeth was the Imperial who was born in Gallia, and wanted to fight for her home, which she considered Gallia. The two of them seemed to be talking to Susie, the former knowing her from their Bruhl days. It seemed like ages since he's seen them, even though in actuality, it was only a couple months. At the sight before him, Peter wanted to shout out a variety of remarks, ranging from a warm greeting, to a witty yet friendly wisecrack. However, when Peter tried opening his mouth, all he could mutter was, "Hey."

"Good to see you too, buddy! When I heard Squad 7 would be deployed out in this hellhole with us, it never really crossed my mind to see you again, man!" Dan remarked, as he patted his friend on the back.

"It warms my heart to see you again, Peter," Elizabeth said, kindly shaking Peter's hand.

"Shut up, Imp," Dan quickly retorted. Elizabeth's brows furrowed, as she pouted sarcastically and put her hands on her hips.

"Still a complete prick towards little 'ol Lizzy, I see, eh Dan? You haven't changed a bit," Peter chuckled.

Dan did about an innocent look, raising a brow. "Who, me? Never..." he said with a sly smirk. He playfully wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's neck, pulled her close to him, and quickly let go. Peter was extremely surprised. Did he just hug her? He remembered thinking Dan genuinely hated Elizabeth at one point, and before Peter had left, he told Dan that a possible reason he was such a jerk to Elizabeth was because he liked her. However, Peter was only messing with Dan, partly for revenge because Dan never let up on the whole "Peter and Susie" ordeal nine years back. Peter never thought there would be any truth to his remarks.

"Umm... How the hell long was I gone...?" Peter asked, scratching his head.

"What...? Oh, that? Yeah... well, even though she's an Imp, and I don't trust her, I've kind of gone to trust her slightly more over the time you've left. You know?" Dan explained. Peter shook his head in response. "Hmph. So how have you been, Peter? What's up with you? Shoot any of your comrades yet?"

Peter's brows furrowed in annoyance of his past mistakes. His incidents have been ones Peter has been greatly ashamed of, and wishes for it to be the past and nothing more. Dan smiled and gave a friendly chuckle, letting Peter know he was only joking. However, Susie, who was mostly ignored through Peter and Dan's conversation, looked utterly shocked and horrified.

"Oh my god! Peter! Y-you actually shot people on your own side?"Susie asked.

"Well... uh, well... You see, my gun jammed on me, twice, amd I accidentally shot them. It was an accident! H-honest! I-it wasn't my fault!" Peter quickly stated. One of the biggest fears Peter has had since joining Squad 7, was having a repeat incident of his troubles in the past. And Peter hopes it stays in the past. In fact, he was so ashamed of his clumsiness, that he never really admitted the incidents to anyone, not even Noce or Susie. The only people who knew of this, according to Peter's knowledge, were Welkin and Alicia. Peter often comes off as extremely defensive, should the subject somehow come up.

"Calm down, it was only a joke. And quit your crying, Susie. He don't mean no harm." Dan responded. Peter's response, and even Susie's seemed annoyed at best. That was Dan for ya. "Anyway, jokes aside, I hear you and the rest of Squad 7 took down that supply base in Kloden. Operation was a huge success."

Peter's mood went from fearful annoyance, to a rather prouder tone. "Oh. Right... Well, yes. We took down the place with relative ease, but we couldn't have done it without Squad 1. Besides, I had help along the way, myself. There was Susie, Noce-"

"Noce's alive? Huh. How is the bastard? Still writing poetry, the little pansy..." Dan said. Peter immediately formed a scowl on his face, and immediately took offense to this.

"Hey, cut him some slack, man. He's been a good friend all this time. And writing poetry isn't _that _bad," Peter replied. Normally, Peter would agree with Dan. However, since Peter is now an avid reader of the works of Nadine, he didn't exactly find writings to be that much of a... girl thing. Guys can read romance, too! That said, there was no way in hell Peter would let Dan find out about that, lest he want even more wisecracks and insults.

"Hmph. Growing into a more soft and sensitive type, eh Peter?" Dan joked. Peter genuinely missed Dan, and was happy to see him, but he soon remembered why he always found him a bit annoying. "Oh, and I hear Alicia is in Squad 7, too? Whoo-e! What a fox..." Dan, said, now entering a daydreaming state. This earned a playful punch on the shoulder from Elizabeth. The two then laughed together. Maybe there was more to this friendship than what Peter had originally perceived.

"Ahem!"

The groups attention was taken by a militia soldier wearing familiar blue and white head wrap on his head. Noce was standing right behind Dan, towering an inch or two above him. His expression what could be described as a slight smirk, but was otherwise a stern serious look. Dan was already shaking, and he knew what would probably happen.

"Oh, uh hey, Noce. Did you uh,... happen to hear-"

"Every word." Noce finished.

"And the stuff-"

"About Alicia? MY Alicia?" He asked, raising his voice slightly. Both Noce and Dan both had crushes on Alicia, back in their days as Town Watchmen, but this has often grown into the two having much disdain for the other, particularly on Noce's part. Indeed, Alicia seemed to be the object of many a man's desires, and even Peter had to admit she was cute. However, Peter never saw Alicia like that. Plus, there was no telling what Noce would do if he did.

"Take it easy there, chief! I'm not gonna steal her away from ya! Those days are behind us. We're friends now... right?" Dan said, extending his arm out.

"If you talk like that about Sergeant Melchiott or any superior again, I'll report you," Noce said, ice almost coating his words. Noce stared down Dan, and the latter attempted to intimidate other other with a stare of his own, but soon cracked down to the pressure. Even though Dan was a year Noce's senior, that doesn't really mean much when the guy's taller than you. And possibly stronger. And would not mind kicking your ass.

"Yeah... okay. We were just leaving. C'mon, Lizzy. See you later, Pete. It was nice talkin' to you. You too Susie. Don't worry, don't go crying or something. We'll still be here. We're just stopping by this camp to ressuply," Dan said, more like he was just resigning toward Noce's wishes. With Elizabeth in tow, they waved goodbye to the trio, before heading off. However, a noticeable look of sadness and frustration was painted all over Dan's face, and Elizabeth was trying to comfort him. All Peter could do was sit and watch as his former squad-mates left to regroup with the rest of Squad 3.

When the two Squad 3 members were out of earshot, Noce sighed as he folded his arms. Peter was saddened, and quite insulted at Noce's rudeness. Even Susie, who normally kept any emotions (unless on the battlefield) in check also looked visibly disturbed. Annoying as Peter and Susie found Dan, they were still good friends with him nonetheless. Noce might be overly protective of Alicia, and might even go as far as opposing Welkin, whom Alicia has spent a lot of time with recently. But his outburst right there just seemed uncalled for.

"Good riddance. He's a wisecracking jackass anyway..." Noce said.

"Okay... dude... What the hell? He was my friend, and he was only joking. Sure I find him annoying, but I grew up with that annoyance for nine years! You don't think I would've gotten used to that?" Peter explained, expecting some sort of apology. When silence was his only response, Peter continued his lecture like a crazed professor at a university, ranting on about some sort of review for big exam. "Geez, you're that stubborn? Great Valkyrur... and how would you report someone for talking about a superior officer? Is that an offense or something? How do you get in trouble for that?"

Noce sighed once more and turned on his heel preparing to walk away. "Look, Peter. I get it. I'm being a jerk right now. But please... I'm... I'm not in the mood to argue right now..." He sighed as he mumbled words. "For one... I don't like the guy personally. You remember our little rivalry in Bruhl? But still... that's no excuse and I'm sorry. No please, if you'll excuse me..."

Noce started walking off, and Peter was left unsure if those words were really meant, or if he was just saying that. He sounded what might have been perceived as sorrow, but his words also sounded forced upon.

"Seriously, he was a pretty gentle guy before the war. Why the hell is he being such a complete asshole?!" Peter asked, raising his voice slightly. He noticed that had startled Susie a bit, and his rather annoyed expression quickly went away. "It's like, he's a completely different person. Sure, this is war, but most of the people I know are still the same old guys... You're still you, Susie. I'm still me. Alicia is still Alicia, and Dan was a prick just like him, but he is still a loveable jackass. Why is Noce an exception?"

There was a moment of silence, and Peter was frustrated. He noticed that Susie had a look of what seemed like thought on her face. It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Susie eventually complied a response for Peter.

"Well, Peter. Some of us can't be as strong as you. Nor Alicia. But war can change us. We see people dying, we see friends lost... soon enough we lose ourselves. Noce is... well, he's just serious because he wants to protect us. He wants whats best for us. That might not exactly make us happy, but he has the right intentions. Especially Alicia. You know how protective of her he is, right? He just... cares for us, is all," Susie explained. Peter was surprised to hear such things from Susie. She never really was one for speeches. However, despite Susie's insightful words, Peter did not look like he was fully convinced. He looked to the ground, and adjusted his hat over his eyes, as he walked off. Susie let a sigh escape her breath. Peter could be so stubborn sometimes...

* * *

Some time had passed, though night still hadn't fallen just yet. Some brighter stars were starting to twinkle in the sky, past the pastels of red, yellow, and orange. Most of Squad 1 was packing their bags and were ready to head off. Some of Squad 3 was doing the same. However, Squad 1 was still on standbye, because their lieutenant was still out, exploring the Barious ruins farther north. Alicia, Welkin, and the Squad 1 lieutenant were all gone for an unusually long time. What was there to find amongst a bunch of sand and ancient rock? Peter wandered the base camp, until he saw his friends, Dan and Elizabeth packing some supplies in a military cargo truck. Peter quickly ran up to their location and helped by picking up the nearest crate and loading it on to the truck.

"So, you guys leaving now?" Peter asked, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Yeah, guess so. You know, our lieutenant wasn't really one to lag around? I'm surprised we've gotten to stay here at this little camp for this long..." Dan said, loading another box into the bed of the truck.

Peter chuckled, reminiscing of his old leader, Lieutenant Drake. The man was always a total jerk, but he was still one hell of a leader. He was still a complete schmuck though. "So, I guess this is goodbye?"

"Yeah, I guess... I wish we could you could still hang out longer, though..." Elizabeth said, sadly.

It then, that a familiar grin was plastered on Dan's face. Coincidentally, when this look was on his face, Peter would often end up in some form of trouble, however, he has remained oblivious to this.

"Hey... I got an idea..." Dan said, placing a hand on his chin.

"Ugh... not another one of your 'plans,' Dan..." Elizabeth said, face palming. Of course, she seemed to have the wisdom to see the faults of their plans, the ones Peter and Dan remain blissfully unaware of. Back during Peter's service in Squad 3, Elizabeth often ended up trying to keep the mischief between the two to a minimum.

Ignoring the earlier statement, Dan went out with his suggestion. "Why don't you could come with us?" Dan said, replaced by a more cheerful mood. The eyes of Peter and Elizabeth went up high.

"What?!" Peter asked.

"Yeah! It's great!" Dan exclaimed, always so sure of himself.

"Um... Danny? Are you sure about that?" Elizabeth asked, putting her hands on her hips. Dan flushed at the sound of his nickname, and Peter couldn't help but laugh. They're like a couple. It's a shame Peter couldn't see it develop. Or perhaps it happened _because_ of his absence... "I mean, Peter could get in a lot of trouble with his superiors. Not to mention that we have our own to deal with..." Elizabeth continued.

"C'mon, Lizzy! Don't be such an Imp! What could possibly go wrong? We're all packing up and going back to Fort Amatriain. And as soon as the people from Squads 1 and 7 get back, they'll be packing too. We'd be doing 'ol Pete here a favor by getting him back early. As for the lieutenants... Eh, what they don't know won't hurt 'em," he said with a sly smile. Peter was smiling too, but Elizabeth was once again putting her palm against her face.

"I can't keep you guys out of trouble _all_ the time..." she mumbled.

"Anyway, I think you should bring Susie along, too. And no, I'm not implying anything, I'm just saying that it'd be like old times. You know? Since back in the Watch. God, I miss Bruhl... You might've grown up in the city, but you would've like Bruhl, Lizzy..." Dan said, now starting to rant on and visibly annoying Elizabeth. As Dan went on and on about his Bruhl days, Peter thought of the idea of actually bringing Susie along. It seemed interesting, and just like Dan said, it would be like old times. Slipping away before he could hear the sound of Dan's rant being replaced by Elizabeth's palm making contact with his cheek, Peter went about searching for his long time friend.

* * *

It wasn't long before Peter managed to find Susie. She was in one of the tents used as the temporary sleeping quarters for the female troops. Susie was sitting in a circle with the girls, babbling with Edy and Aisha about rumors and the squad gossip. Typical "girl stuff." Of course, Homer was just there standing around, as if he was merely a piece of nearby furniture. Scratch that. An old piece of furniture you just seemed to hate. Peter got this impression when Homer tried butting in the girls' conversation, Edy struck him once again.

"Ow... I was just going to say that Peter's here, Miss Edy..." Homer said, rubbing the bruise on the top of his head.

The girls' faces brightened up, as they noticed Peter. He was met up with the typical "hello's" and how are you's" from them. But before Peter could explain why he was here in the first place, Edy stood up. She opened her mouth, fumbling over her words, before starting.

"Hey, uh, Peter... So, no hard feelings about last time, right? Remember?" Edy asked, motioning toward the spot she had "accidentally" slapped Peter a while back. The imprint on her hand seemed to be completely faded away though. However, Peter wasn't expecting any sort of apology. Sure, it might have been a couple weeks late, but it was still nice to hear this coming from Edy.

"Thanks, Edy," Peter said shaking her hand. Peter silently wondered who could've talked her into this, because he knew Edy has this weird sense of "pride" bubbling around in her head. His question was soon answered when Edy turned to face Susie.

"There! Are you happy now!? I apologized! Why did _I_ have to apologize, anyway? HE was the one who called US idiots!" Edy said, huffing and pouting at Susie.

"_Um... Hello? I'm right here you know..."_ Peter thought. Even though Peter had seen it a couple times on the battlefield, the look on Susie's face in this rather casual environment was classic.

"Um, what do ya need, Mishter Peter?" Aisha asked, her speech impediment charming as always.

"Huh? Oh, I need to talk to Susie for minute. Do you mind, Susie?" Peter asked. The girls exchanged glances and Susie nodded. She got up from the ground and went outside with Peter. When Peter and Susie stepped out of the tent, there a bunch of giggling and incoherent chatting coming from the tent. Canvas wasn't really that soundproof... Susie merely sighed, while Peter, though he didn't realize it, was balling a fist, particularly annoyed with Edy.

_"Never hit a girl, never hit a girl... Just hit Cezary..."_

"So what did you need?" Susie asked. Peter snapped out of his irritation and explained.

"Okay Susie. Look, I want you to sneak out of the base with me. Now this sounds stupid, but we'll be hanging around Squad 3, so we can hang out with Dan and stuff. It'll be just like old times! Besides, we won't get in trouble or anything. Squad 7's gonna be packing up soon, so all we're doing is hitching a ride with my old squad, and basically just getting back to the Militia Base early," Peter explained, not bothering to stop for a breath and saying it quickly. Peter was waiting for a response as Susie was taking in the information she was given. A moment later, there was a frown on her face.

"Dan came up with that idea, didn't he?" she asked. Peter nodded in response. Susie shook her head. Dan always brought out the rather immature and reckless side of Peter's personality. Perhaps it was some kind of "boy thing."

"So you just think you can leave the camp, and no one will find out?" Susie continued. "What about the lieutenants?"

"Lieutenant Drake can go rot in hell. As for Welkin, he's a good guy. I'm sure he'll forgive me," Peter said, confident.

"Okay, what about Captain Varrot? Y-you could get in really big trouble here, Peter!" Susie frantically exclaimed, noticing Peter wasn't heeding her warning. "You... You'll get court martialed! Peter, think about what you're doing!"

Peter noticed she looked genuinely nervous and worried. He began second-guessing what hid decision. Peter turned is back on Susie, trying to think. As he started to pace around, Susie grabbed his hand, halting him.

"Please, Peter... Just stay here... for me?" Susie asked. She had a look in her eyes that were pleading. They were full of innocence that could make most guys fall head-over-heels. Though Peter cared about Susie, he genuinely hated the look on Susie's face. It was a stupid look that Susie always used to give him when she wanted him to do something he normally objected to. It was a look no one could say no to. Peter never considered her to exactly be a very manipulative girl, but the very few times Susie asked something of him were often irritating.

"Hmph... fine. I'll stay here at the camp. But I seriously think that you're over-using your trump card..." Peter sighing in defeat.

The features on Susie's face creased into a smile, and she turned around to enter the tent her friends were in. But before she left, she muttered, "Thank you." She went though the canvas flaps, and Peter was left outside. With nothing better to do, Peter went to the medical tent to see if Melville's ass was doing okay.

* * *

Melville was doing better. He was starting to try and stand, but it still hurt like hell for him. Walking and sitting were still way out of the question. As Peter roamed the base of tents, he contemplated on trying to keep himself busy in the future. This habit of wandering aimlessly for something to do was becoming most annoying. As Peter leaned against a parked vehicle, he heard some footsteps coming toward him. He turned his head to see Dan and Elizabeth. Two faces Peter definitely didn't want to see now.

"So Pete, you coming with, or what?" Dan asked, gesturing over to a Militia troop transport. Elizabeth looked still disapproving of Dan's plan, but somewhat appeared to hope Peter was coming along.

Peter looked at the ground, trying to think and make a decision. Sure, he had made a promise to Susie, but these guys were his friends too. Peter had more friends (and enemies) in Squad 7 then he ever had in his whole lifetime, prior to being transferred. Yet, Peter found an unusual and strange excitement of being in Squad 3 that Squad 7 just didn't seem to have. Maybe it was just being with his best friend. Maybe it was the rather strict feel of the squad, in contrast to Welkin's easy-going nature. Maybe it was just the thrill of the several schemes he and Dan would come up with to piss off Lieutenant Drake. Yeah, it was most likely the third one. In any case, Dan was starting to look impatient, and Peter had to come up answer. He looked at the troop truck, ready to go, and the tent Susie and her friends were in. Soon enough, he made his decision.

"Alright. I'm coming along, I guess..." Peter finally said. Dan laughed and gave his friend a bear hug. Peter noticed Elizabeth was shrugging her shoulders, as if not caring anymore, but Peter could still see that she was happy that he was coming along. As the two guided Peter, he looked down at the ground, using the front of his hunting cap to cover his face. He was mostly looking devoid of emotion for a brief moment, and Elizabeth took note of this.

"Hey, Peter... What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked sincerely. Peter shook his head in response.

"No, it's okay. Everything's fine..." Elizabeth didn't look entirely convinced, but she decided to drop the matter. The truth was, Peter was actually feeling ashamed. He had never broken a promise to Susie, and it made him sick knowing he lied to a friend. He would hope he would get over it when everyone was back at Fort Amatriain.

"So Peter... I guess I take it that Susie's not coming along?" Dan asked.

Peter sighed. "Yeah, I guess..." Peter said, still the thought of betrayal in his mind. Perhaps 'betrayal' was too strong a word, but that was what Peter was feeling right now. "You know how conservative she is... never taking risks..." he continued, trailing off.

"Conservative, eh? 'Not willing to take risks?' Then what the hell is she doing in the Militia?"

Peter ignored the query, not really wanting to bother going in depth to explain. Dan went up to the truck and hopped in the bed. Elizabeth soon followed. Peter hesitated for a moment before hopping on himself. As he took his seat, Peter noticed several Squad 3 members already seated, quite a few of whom he's never seen. Probably a bunch of new recruits, judging by the youth shown on their faces. Upon seeing Peter, the passengers started murmuring and chatting about this new stranger. One of the recruits was looking at Peter's uniform. He probably noticed the patch labeled, "7," on his uniform.

"W-what's a Squad 7 trooper doing here?" asked the rather timid soldier.

"This here, you rookie, is former Squad 3 member, and my good buddy, Peter Rothchild," Dan said, proudly. Peter raised a brow. Was all the flattery really necessary? "But, you may know him better as the sap who shot Emal over there a while back..." Dan said, pointing over to a soldier. The color on Peter's face disappeared. Okay, that was going a bit too far... The very reason for Peter's transfer was sitting right over there. Emal looked at Peter and scoffed, quickly looking away. Maybe Peter had enemies in Squad 3 after all. Peter face palmed in embarrassment.

"Peter! It is good to see you again! Squad 3 just hasn't been the same ever since that prick, Drake, kicked you out!" said a burly voice. Peter looked over and saw a familiar engineer.

"It's good to see you too, Rusty," Peter said, shaking his strong hand. The red-headed engineer nodded. The man was something of a friend to Peter, and he was a very likable guy overall. A smile framed by his bright colored beard was shaped on his features.

"Why hello, Peter..." said a rather suggestive voice. Peter nearly jumped in his seat at the sound of his name, considering the source was right next to him, close to his ear. He looked over his shoulder and saw a familiar girl, though one Peter didn't really wanted to meet right now.

"Oh... uh, hello Erlina..." Peter said. He was still a bit jittery and jumpy, but was able to shake the feeling off soon. Pleased with her results, the black haired medic laughed. Peter always thought that the girl might have liked him, though she was a bit too... unusual for his tastes. She was prone to violence, and could get angered somewhat easily. Strange traits for a medic. That, and she pretty much flirted with every guy in the squad ages 17 to 21...

"I've missed you..." Erlina continued, moving slightly closer to Peter. At the same time, Peter found himself subtly scooting away from her. Dan found the situation to be hilarious, chuckling as he was doing so.

"See, Peter? Not even five minutes pass, and you're already a celebrity! This is gonna be a fun trip!" Dan explained. Somehow, Peter doubted that. Still, it was nice being around the old squad anyways...

* * *

About 20 or so minutes had passed, and the passengers were constantly chatting with Peter about Squad 7 life, the people there, and overall, what it was like. Peter wasn't used to all the attention, but at this particular time, he'd probably be lying if he said he wasn't exactly enjoying this attention.

"So, Lieutenant Gunther... he a nice guy?" asked a soldier.

"Well, unlike some people we know, the Lieutenant is a nice guy, and is pretty easy-going," Peter explained, like a politician at a press conference.

"Is it true he's got a Darcsen as a sister?" another asked.

"Well, yeah. But before you go assuming, she's a very nice person. And an even better mechanic," Peter said. At this comment, Elizabeth scoffed, looking disgusted. Peter was thinking the worst. "Lizzy... you aren't another Darcsen hater, are you?" Peter asked.

Elizabeth folded her arms. "Hmph. Well I can't exactly say I love the stinkin' Dark-Hairs..." Elizabeth said. She used the phrase "Dark-Hair" like one would say the word "manure." Lizzy of all people... Perhaps it is because she is of Imperial blood, and grew up with an Imperial family...

The air grew silent, with the exception of the vehicle's engine rumbling. Strangely enough, even that went out too, and the militia troops exchanged confused glances. The vehicle had stopped moving for some reason, and no one knew why. Dan got up from his seat and exited the vehicle to see what was the problem.

"Hey driver, what gives?" Dan asked, annoyed.

"There's a fire farther up in the convoy. I think there's an engine problem or something," the engineer said. The two, as well as every one else on the truck, heard some comm chatter on their radios.

_"Bzzt... This is Squad 3, Beta, reporting! We are under enemy fire! Repeat! Under enemy fire! They seem to have some commander, a woman, leading them. What the... that blue flame... it's almost like... a Valk- AHHGGG!!!" _

Just then, static replaced the screams, and the burning vehicle up ahead exploded in a spectacular burst of azure flame. Dan and the driver looked on in pure shock and bewilderment. The passengers from within were also becoming increasingly nervous and frightened.

"What the-" the driver's words were interrupted by the shrill sound of glass breaking. A second passed and Dan noticed the windshield was cracked, and a bullet hole at the center of it. Soon, blood from the driver's neck was spraying into the glass.

"Oh, holy shit!" Dan exclaimed. A bullet whizzed past by him, missing. He frantically shrieked a couple octaves higher than he'd want it, but he no longer cared. He ran to the other side of the truck, taking cover.

"Dan, what the hell is going on out here?!" Peter asked, still not getting up from the seat in the truck. A bullet struck the vehicle on its side, giving them a pretty good explanation of what was going on. The troops taking passenger ducked and took cover. "What the hell happened to the driver?!" Peter yelled.

"Dead!" Dan said, unstrapping his rifle from his back. He took his gun and looked, but he couldn't find the sniper.

Then, amongst the frenzied and chaotic screams and yells, static could be heard, and the group shushed down. They all heard the radio going off, and Peter instantly recognized the old and no-nonsense voice coming from the guy's mouth.

_"Listen up, maggots! In case you didn't notice, our convoy is being ambushed! I want all troops to regroup south of your current positions. Then, we'll hit those Imperial bastards, and we'll hit 'em hard! Squad 3, move out!" _

The Lieutenant's voice was cut off from there, and the troops picked up their guns and cautiously tried exiting the vehicle. Just then, a trooper, presumably a rookie, was shot in the the back of the head.

"Ah! Shit! Guys, run for it!" Peter said in panic, taking cover behind the truck. The rest soon followed, some taking cover in behind the truck, others behind some rocks, or the ruined walls that stood in place withing Barious's sands. The wind seemed to violently pick up, and another sandstorm was making it's way. The relative peace the elements of the desert were displaying were now shattered. Peter pulled up his shawl in the familiar half-mask like form, and loaded a clip into his rifle. "Of all the times for this to happend..." Peter mumbled.

"Ah, look on the bright side! You've got us with you! Squad 7 always gets the glory in the Militia! Let's see how Squad 3 can do in the spotlight!" Dan exclaimed.

Off in the distance, several dots could be seen in the horizon, and despite the sandstorm, it was apparent that they were definitely not Gallian. They looked like an army of ants climbing over a hill. They already were well over Squad 3's numbers.

"Well..." Peter started, taking a gulp. "Here goes nothing..."

* * *

**Ooh! Cliffhanger! Aw, well... Next chapter's gonna be big, and you can count on it! I had intended to do a battle scene, but I never realized how long long this chapter would be. Over 5800 words ZOMG! Anyway, hoped you enjoyed. The minor OCs also play bigger parts next chapters. I hope you aren't too particularly sick of OCs here on the Valkyria Chronicles fanfic archive. At least I try to make them Non-Sues... Next chapter might end up being the most difficult, yet.. Also, please give me feedback, if you see some errors. I don't really re-read my chapter before posting; I just type then post. No beta reader either. Anyway, thanks for reading! Until next time!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, Mr. Wang here... I am really sorry for how much I've delayed in this update. Sickness, writer's block, and school do a lot to hamper your progress. This chapter didn't really turn out as well as I hoped it would. Or maybe it did. I don't know. But, I hope it will be sufficient enough to pass you by until my next chapter. Oh, and a weird fact about your author: I purchased a copy of Valkyria Chronicles for the first time about two week ago. I've never played the game up until then, and this is partly the reason for the delay of this chapter. I feel so stupid! So many things I never knew! I never knew Melville had a mohawk! I thought Wendy was an engineer! I mixed up so many names with actual characters! And most weirdest of all, I found out how to correctly pronounce Noce's name! It's pronounced like "Nochee." I always said it like "No-say." Wow... If only Sega might make a DLC on Squad 3, and Peter a new character... Anyway, once again, I apologize for the delay. This one is my _longest_ chapter to date, and probably the longest chapter I've _ever_ made! Another reason why it took so long to make. So be warned, as you read this. Enjoy!  
**

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* * *

**

Peter panicked as he loaded another clip into his rifle. Looking over the rock currently shielding him from enemy fire, he saw he'd manage to take down a couple of Imps, but twice as many now stood over their fallen comrades. Or at least it looked that way in all the damn sand. The waves of enemies seemed endless.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Peter cursed, diving toward another rock as a couple shocktroopers came too close for comfort. Leaning up against the obstruction, he could see bits of gravel crumbling as the Imperials pelted the cover with bullets. Alongside Peter, Dan was laughing as unloaded a clip of ammunition into the faces of the incoming troopers.

"Whoo-ee! Damn, Peter! Did you see me take down those bastards?"

"Don't get cocky, man! This ain't a contest!" Peter said, frantically firing his weapon. He no longer bothered aiming. He merely took potshots at them, firing in their general direction. Dan yelled out something inaudible over the gunfire taking place. Some of the squad-mates in the troop transport had spread out, some in the area the two Bruhlers were in, others more spread with the rest of Squad 3. Others… well, dead.

"Ah, shit! Bail! Bail!" Dan yelled, quickly running from the cover of the large rock formation. Peter raised an odd look, before looking and seeing an old Imperial potato masher lying just a few feet away. Peter immediately got up and tried running after his friend, but the ensuing explosion managed to knock Peter off his feet. He felt a sharp pain on his forehead, and the gunfire in the background slowly died out. His eyes slowly closed, and the world went to black.

* * *

_The Imps were on all sides. Just a few survivors of the Gallian Military, whether it be regulars or militia, were attempting to make a final stand at Randgriz. The paved roads and multiple buildings around town made Peter uneasy Each and every one of those windows and corners… the Imps could be around any one of them Everyone was huddled around a sandbag fortress guarding the entrance to a bunker that lead to the palace. The so-called "important" regulars were inside, leaving the "common rabble" to die. Just a few militia men and women were still there. Noce was mourning his late crush. Elizabeth and Dan were contemplating an imminent surrender. A sobbing Aisha, being told by Juno that everything would be alright. Edy was letting out an ear-shattering wail for Homer, whose broken body lay in her arms. Isara and the Darcsens all holding hands, saying prayers. And Susie, who was holding on tightly his hand. Peter looked at the scene with pity and… acceptance? Was he really so ready to die? Pitiful. Just pitiful. And, with the exception of the cries and panicked chatter of the others, it was relatively silent. One could hear the wind whistling amongst the anxiety. Everyone was on edge. Fearful. One could hack through the tension with a knife. Then, a single gunshot echoed in the air. Noce fell flat on the ground, in a pool of his own blood. A set of Imperial armor revealed itself, and opened fire. Another Gallian fell. Edy soon joined her fallen comrade as another Imp brandished his machine gun, firing with no remorse. Juno shielded the young child in her arms with her own body and, the woman soon crumpled, Aisha soon fleeing the scene only to be wounded by a heartless soldier. The Darcsens sang some sort of weird prayer or Darcsen song forlornly, as the Imperial soldiers picked them off one by one, silencing their tune. The echoes of their song and more gunshots rang through the alleys of the city. Peter could only watch in complete and utter horror. And when he felt the grip around his hand loosen, and a soft thud soon after, Peter immediately felt a shaking on his shoulder._

"_C'mon, man! We gotta go!" _

_Dan frantically looked and wanted to run away, both him and Elizabeth urging him to leave. _

"_Screw it. We're all good as dead anyway…" Peter mumbled._

_Dan slapped Peter coldly across the face. "Damn it, Peter! Don't go putting that bullshit on me! Stay with me!" _

_Peter merely stared at Dan, who continued trying to pull his arm to get him to leave the scene and get to safety. _

"_Peter! Peter?! PETER!!!!"

* * *

_

After faintly regaining his hearing, Peter could finally hear the yelling in his ear more clearly, almost bursting his ear drum. Somehow he knew he could already see, but when he "reopened" his eyes, there was no longer a war torn city. The scene of a ravaged desert with gunfire and bodies everywhere greeted him.

"For god's sake, Peter! Don't scare me like that!"

Peter looked up. At first, he was trying to regain his full ocular vision, and the sand flying through the skies didn't make that any better. Eventually saw Dan and Elizabeth dragging him against an old ruined wall and let go. After a realizing that he was on the ground, Peter pushed himself up and dusted off. He saw his rifle in Elizabeth's hand, and eagerly grabbed it away, checking the clip for any remaining ammo before pulling the bolt and taking aim.

"Peter, what the hell was all that crap about being good as dead?"

"You were in shock, Peter… are you sure you're alright?"

Peter looked back at Dan and Elizabeth, both of whom looked very concerned. He glanced back at the marching Imperial soldiers. From the cover of the rock wall, the enemy didn't seem aware of their presence, and the Imps were marching towards the side, as Peter watched carefully from the sidelines.

"You mind if we talk about that later? Now's not exactly the best time…" Peter said, glancing back at the two, before looking forward at the ignorant Imperials. "I think we might be able to flank them…"

"Fair enough. C'mon, Lizzy. Let's go kick some ass," Dan commented, loading a new clip into the rifle and cocking the rifle bolt. Elizabeth did the same with her own machine gun. However, an unusually timed radio call would soon cause them to break.

"_This is Squad 3 Alpha! Lieutenant Drake, speaking! All my troopers are down, I need reinforcements! I want all available shock troops and lancers to get your asses over here! Scouts… well, you just soak up the enemy bullets and provide cover for your fellow man. That's an order! I'm sending up a flare on my position. Squad 3 Alpha out…" _

The radio signal was cut off from there, and both the Bruhlers looked completely mortified at the commander's orders.

"'Soak up enemy bullets?' What kind of bullshit is that!?" Dan yelled. Peter quickly muffled him with a gloved hand, in order to at least retain some sort of element of surprise with the nearby troops. Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle at least a little bit, but the smile quickly disappeared.

"Look, an order's an order. And if we survive this mess and I never got there to help, that asshole Drake is gonna kill me…" Elizabeth said, shuffling uneasily. The blonde Imperial-Gallian girl looked very conflicted.

"Yeah? What about us? He basically ordered us to die. Is he gonna kill us if we happen to still be alive?" Peter remarked sarcastically.

The blonde shocktrooper couldn't help but let out another laugh. "Will you guys be okay without me?"

The two scouts looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, we can hold out on our own…"

Elizabeth nodded and cautiously looked around to see if there were any Imperials that could see her in their line of sight. The nearby Imps were occupied with a small detachment of Squad 3 troops. Probably just scouts "following orders." When the coast was clear she immediately dived into a trench, following a path that went towards the general direction of a bright flare rising up and radiating a light in the sky. Peter immediately was worried if that flare just a death wish, gaining attention of the Imps. However, he just didn't want to think about it.

"So… Whaddya propose we do now, Peter?" Dan asked, followed by a sigh.

"Hell if I know. We just lost our best fighter…" Peter replied shrugging.

"A girl? Our best fighter?"

"Spend a month or so in Squad 7. You'll understand better…"

"Ah, screw it. We don't need her. We can take care of ourselves," Dan said with a grin. "But I still don't understand how Drake made Lieutenant. He's got shit for brains..."

"Hell, if Damon is a General then anything's possible," Peter remarked, remembering the fat bastard.

"Good point."

Dan took a glance around the corner of the wall. The Imps had just annihilated the groups of soldiers, and were now patrolling, presumably towards the fading flare further within the desert battlefield. Sure, he's supposed to be a great commander, but where the hell did Drake get all that potential from EW1?

"Think we can ambush them bastards?" Dan asked, tightening the grip on his rifle.

Peter slowly walked towards the other end of the wall, opposite of Dan, and peeked at the troops. There were five of them still standing. The Imperials had their backs toward the two former watchmen, and were looking amongst the dead, checking bodies of their fallen, and any Gallians. Peter and Dan flinched as one of them unloaded a clip on a seemingly dead body. Whether the poor guy was really dead or not was unknown.

"Sadistic sons 'a bitches… C'mon. I say we throw a grenade or two. Catch 'em off guard. Whaddya say?"

Peter hesitated. He then nodded his head, thinking it to be the safest sounding solution, compared to a full on firefight. The two went for their potato mashers dangling from their belts among other things. They took the safety pins off, and saw the white trigger string dangling down, waiting to be pulled and thrown.

"On three?"

"Yeah."

The two silently counted in their heads. The suspense was killing them.

One…

Two…

"What the?"

The two Gallians looked over to their side and noticed an Imperial scout who has discovered them.

"Oh… unfuckingbelievable…" Dan cursed.

"That was predictable…" Peter said.

Acting quickly, Dan reached raised his rifle, still holding his grenade, and fired his rifle with one arm without support from the other. The accuracy was very shabby, but you can't complain when the man dropped like a stone in that heavy Imperial armor. As soon as an audible scream left the dying breath of the enemy, Peter and Dan tore off the strings and threw the grenades over the wall. Screams of confusion and the sound of a blast followed soon after. After relinquishing the cover from the rock wall, the two saw the broken bodies of the Imperials. Peter noticed a stray enemy scout, caught off guard and retreating. He aimed down the irons and squeezed the trigger. A spray of blood came soon after. Dan saw another straggler, his armor stained vermilion and torn from shrapnel. Whether he was an officer or not was hard to tell. As the wounded man limped away from the scene, Dan emptied the clip on his Gallian and reloaded. He then spit on the corpse's helmet. Peter however, wasn't in a stance to perform a similar act of defiance. His mind was elsewhere.

"Oh, Christ..."

Peter threw grenades before, and was no stranger to the death around him in a battlefield, but this was the first time he actually witnessed the results of the carnage, and the sandstorms died out just enough for it to be visible. The bodies... or at least what was left of them. Limbs left about everywhere... It was at this point Peter had realized that he didn't exactly have a strong stomach.

As he reloaded the gun, Dan immediately went down into one of the trenches that dotted Barious and ducked his head as he traveled along it.

"Dan, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Going after Lizzy! We shouldn't have just stayed behind with our thumbs ups our asses! A complete dipshit move! Fuck the Lieutenant! I'm going!"

Peter saw Dan run along the trench. Strange, as Dan sort of decided not to follow her. Peter knew that going on his own was suicide, and Dan was more stubborn than he was. Seeing what little options he had, he followed in suit in Dan's path.

As the trench progressed, the screaming, bullets, and sounds of combat increased. The air wasn't just clouded by flying sand anymore. Smoke, embers, and the screams of dying men were carried by the winds. Even some strange azure aura occasionally passed, sending chills down Peter's spine. The former watchman did his best to keep his cool at this point. He looked down toward the ground, following Dan's feet. He dared not to peek above the trench, for the purpose of not getting his head blown off, and to not be temporarily scarred by the scene unfolding. He even went as far as to silently pray for himself, Susie, Squad 7, and all his friends should he not make it. Right now, he was envying Dan for his bravery and being able to dive into this scene forward.

Or at least he did. Peter wished that he had some tools on him, or that Nadine was here.

In his headstrong dash toward the rest of Squad 3, Dan was oblivious to the danger around him, whether it be enemy soldiers, some of the tanks firing on Gallian forces, ect. However, when Peter stopped to catch a breath after chasing his friend, he looked up to see his friend still making a mad dash. He must really want to help Elizabeth. However, Peter noticed something along the ground, and in the path Dan was rushing recklessly. The circular shape sent shock into Peter.

"Dan! No, WAIT!"

"Wha-?"

_Click_

The next thing Peter knew, he had closed his eyes and reopened them. There was still the sands and the signs of battle marring the atmosphere. Only this time, where he look where Dan was running, he only saw half a leg lying on the ground. And no Dan. Frantically, he got up from the trench, in search of his longtime friend. He saw his body crumpled on the ground further along the path. Quickly, Peter ran as fast as he could. A couple Imperial troops were in the way, but he lifted his rifle, aimed, and pulled the trigger in succession in a fluid reflexive motion. Catching up, Peter was horrified to see his friend, missing his right leg. Miraculously, he was alive, but for how long, Peter could only guess. Dan slowly crawled on the ground, dragging and pushing himself forward with one arm, while attempting to unholster a pistol with his other.

"Dan! Dan, talk to me!" Peter yelped, practically yelling in his friend's face.

"Pete, I... I think my time's done here..."

"Damn it, don't pull off that whole 'I'm done for' bullshit, Dan! I'll get a medic. You'll get to a hospital, I swear!"

Dan chuckled as, but subsequently caughed blood from his mouth. "Heh. I know, but think realistically here... how bad is it?"

Peter looked at where his leg used to be with unease. "Y-you've been better..."

Dan loaded ammunition into his pistol. "Really? Heh. Well, Valkyrur, God, or whatever deity may lie up there might just go easy on a guy like me..."

"Dan..."

Dan spat out more blood, as he slowly turned his head to Peter. "Maybe I'm just crazy. But hell, I'll buy ya some time. Go. Make sure Lizzy stay's safe. For me."

As a tear slowly dripped from Peter's eye, he gave a slight smirk. "So... you finally admit that you like her?"

Dan laughed, while pulling back the slide on the gun. "Damn it, Peter... hehe... Just before I die, you just had to remember that talk a couple months back."

"Whatever keeps you laughing before you die, buddy," Peter commented with an uneasy shrug.

Dan slowly reached under his uniform and ripped out a pair of dog tags. "Take 'em. Something to remember me by. Now go. Get Lizzy outta here. I don't want Squad 3 to be nothing but a memory, now..."

Peter slowly looked at the tags in his hands, growing more emotionally unstable with each passing moment. "Dan, I..."

"GO!"

Without a second thought, Peter did as he was told. But when his feet started running, his back turned on him, he thought back on so many things, and a couple things left unsaid. Peter always figured he and Dan would grow up like old men at Bruhl, wasting away in the peaceful countryside. But, that was just wishful thinking. Now, Valkyrur, or whatever the hell god there was, rest his soul.

As Dan watched his long-time buddy run off, he reminisced on better times. His head was getting light, vision fading, as he looked back on when they were kids. Back when he and Peter met for the first time. When Peter met Susie, and Dan spread rumors around town that he thought they were together, much to Peter's dismay. The good times back in middle school. When Dan and Peter joined the Watch for the first time. The good days in Squad 3. And earlier today, before all this fighting. He'd been a bit of an asshole in recent times, ever since the war started. Maybe with this whole "sacrifice" thing, he'd get a sweet deal up in heaven. If not... then at least he'll never feel as cold as he does right now. A pair of Imperials approached him, and Dan opened fire with the pistol, unloading several bullets and managing to catch one off guard and getting a shot in the head in the other. The one still standing looked at Dan, eyes staring from the slits of the red metal helmet, glaring with fire. The trooper holstered his rifle and pulled out his sidearm, a revolver. Dan pulled the trigger once again, but to no avail. He was out of ammo. The Imperial officer looked like he wanted to take pleasure in the kill of his helpless opponent. He knelt down next to Dan, the barrel of the gun aimed at Dan's forehead.

"So, you Gallian dog... any last words before I end your miserable peasant life?"

"Yeah... Looks like we're both destined for hell..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"This."

Dan had already pulled off the safety pin from the grenade on his belt before taking out the string to ignite the fuse. In a spectacular blue Ragnite blast, both Dan and the Imperial were gone.

* * *

Peter looked back after hearing the gunshots and explosions. He was horrified to see a blast from where Dan was, but now the deed was done. No turning back. No time to mourn. The least Peter could do now was run and fulfill Dan's last wishes. Turning his head forward, Peter ran forward, though a tad more cautiously, as to not step on a stray mine. Peter was hopping from one point of cover to the next, trying to avoid any Imperials along the way, but that was soon an inevitability. Soon, he could already see it.

Imps were already trying to corner the main surviving forces of Squad 3. Peter took the binoculars from his belt and inspected the situation from a distance. Taking a guess, there was about 15 troopers, and other Militia Personnel there. There were two tanks among them, one of them Peter recognized as the Valkyrian Tiger, Lieutenant Drake's tank. Those armored vehicles were probably the only thing that kept those people alive. The infantry was able to hold out against other infantry, while the tanks and lancers took out enemy armor. And Drake's tank almost could've rivaled the Edelweiss, though it lacked many of the innovations the famed engineer, Professor Theimer, created. They looked like they holding out on their own pretty well for a group that size, but the enemy still had seemingly endless reinforcements pooling in. Peter put his binoculars back and tightened the grip on his Gallian rifle and slowly progressed toward his allies. Using a keen Scout's eye, the Bruhler tried surveying area for a break in the line where enemy troops were rather thin. With that, he managed to find a lightly defended opening in their ranks, though that'd mean he'd have to take on two shocktroopers on by himself. Peter utterly hated enemy shock troops. Being a lowly scout, he wasn't properly armed enough to take on a shocktrooper single-handedly, let alone two. Peter also didn't have any more grenades on his person. Cursing, Peter slowly and cautiously crawled through another one of the natural trenches that the vast desert. He swore that the natural environment of Barious was both a curse and blessing. With trenches and sandstorms that partially blinded both sides, fighting a battle here had its ups and downs. The scout slowly peered up from the depth of the dug-up ground, and saw that the troopers still had their back on him. From the looks of it, they had unusually advanced machine guns, with some kind of attachments. Peter was now nervous, wondering if he should reconsider his path. But at the thought of the survivors dying off, the scout knew he had to act.

As he raised his rifle, Peter aimed down the irons, he tried aiming at the soldiers' hands. He once heard Cezary brag about how escaped a shocktrooper by shooting the gun out of his hands. Whether or not this true or complete bullshit, Peter couldn't decipher. It was crazy, but crazy was better than nothing.

"Steady, steady..."

Peter has the man's hands in his sights, but the Bruhler's own hands were rather shaky, anxiety setting in. Interestingly, the anxiety was a more prevalent problem in Squad 3 than back with the 7's. Peter tried to pull the stock against chest and steady it a bit more. His finger hovered over the trigger. With a silent prayer, he pulled the trigger. Peter missed the hands, but rather shot the gun. Suddenly, a small explosion ensued, and the Imperial trooper was engulfed in flames. The Imp was flailing around his arms and running in circles, before his charred body crumpled to the ground.

"What... the hell just happened...?"

The still-standing shocktrooper noticed the blue-capped scout and released a hailfire of bullets his way. Peter ducked back under the trench, still unsure of what the hell had just ensued. Peter looked up from underneath the trench, and noticed the stream of bullets had stopped. Instead, he was met with a much more startling sight. Cyan flames were flowing above him, and expanding around the trench. Peter panicked as he scrambled down the trench, away from the spreading flames. Whether the sweat on Peter's head was from the flames or the heat of battle, he didn't know. He poked his head up again, terrified that the trooper was somehow manipulating flames with his gun. Trying to regain his composure, Peter noticed the Imp was still focused on torching the trench, thinking he that the militia-man was still there. Terror and shock was very much instilled in Peter, but he had to cleanse his mind in order to live another day. With the enemy trooper's mind elsewhere, Peter aimed down the irons and fired the gun. With that, the trooper stumbled and fell into the trench and with it, the very flames he had created. Not knowing how the hell he just took down two troopers, Peter shrugged it off, and rushed toward the group surviving group of Squad 3.

* * *

Using his tactic of running from cover to cover, Peter rushed as fast as he could toward the militia garrison. Stealth, speed, and a little luck went some ways in helping Peter get to the destination. Several wounded, dying, or dead bodies were sprawled about. There were only two medics in the squad, and there was only so much they could do, as they quickly ran from soldier to soldier, trying to get them up with their Ragnaid kits. Infantry, including some scouts smart enough to regroup, were fighting off any other Imps, but the two tanks, including Drake's tank, were keeping enemy personnel at bay. A pair of engineers were stationed at each tank at the ready. Lancers assisted tanks in anti-armor, and everyone seemed like they had an invulnerable iron will to fight. How Peter was still alive and finally regrouped with his comrades was beyond him. He quickly dashed behind the tanks for cover. He was met with several more wounded, as the two medics, along with an engineer, were trying their best to heal them up.

"Peter, glad to see ya made out her alive!"

Peter took a glance at the man acknowledging him. It was the old red-headed engineer from back in the truck, and one of Peter's old Squad 3 friends. He was currently trying to operate on a wounded woman, using a Ragnaid kit traditionally used by medics.

"Rusty, what the hell's been going on?"

The man uneasily looked at the girl he was attempting to heal, and resumed his work while talking to Peter.

"Shit's been tough, Peter. We've been sufferin' heavy casualties, and Drake's been really losing it. In fact, the only person that's instilled any sort of order in us is the Sergeant," he said, carefully injecting a syringe in the poor girl's arm. "If we don't get any reinforcements soon, we're screwed."

The Bruhler shook his head at Rusty's response. He was right. These guys couldn't just fend off the Imperial force indefinitely. As Peter pondered this, an explosion was heard not too far from them. The two militia-men frantically looked at the source of the piercing sound. A tank shell had opened fire on the standard Militia tank, destroying one of its treads. The engineers stationed at the tank began trying to repair the damage, but one of them was immediately picked off by a gunshot. The surviving engineer was still working on the treads, pulling out some tools, as if his nothing had happened to his downed comrade. However, when the engineer looked to his side, from where the shell came from, he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"TANK! Enemy tank!" the engineer yelled.

With that, the engineer packed up his tools and escaped, dragging his friend along with him. Another tank shell hit armored exterior of the tank, breaking off some of the extra steel plating added to its hull. It was a miracle the tank wasn't destroyed outright. Several people stationed around the militia tank panicked, running away from what the engineer had pointed out. Everyone knew a tank was already a big problem, but they already had two on their own side, plus a handful of Lancers. But what freaked out the infantry was some kind of heavily armored tank marching in, Imperial soldiers flanking either side of it. It seemed bigger than the medium tanks most of the militia had met with so far, and needless to say, had much stronger plating and canons. The massive treads rolled forward, spelling certain doom to whomever stands in its way. The turret fired off another anti-armor round straight at the tank it had shot earlier, breaking another hole in its defense.

"Oh, damn it... So this is how I die, huh? Imps and tanks, with my best friend already dead..." Peter mumbled to himself.

Before Peter could contemplate a will, a shrill whistling sound could be heard, silencing most of the squad. Faint at first, it gradually became a tad louder each passing second. Curiosity soon turned into more panicked and frenzied screams.

"Mortars! Artillery! Everybody, get the hell out of here!"a militia soldier shouted.

Peter was horrified at the news, and the sight of all the troops in chaos didn't help one bit. Amidst the anarchy, some of the Imperials were even able to take shots at confused and frightened Gallians, picking them off slowly.

Suddenly, some of the more keen-eyed soldiers, such as Peter and his fellow scouts, were able to see it in the air, closing in. The mortar shell was about to impact, and some Gallians closed their eyes in fear.

"I'll see you on the other side, Dan..." Peter mumbled.

The loud explosion was heard soon-after, but when it took a bit for the militia soldiers to realize that the mortar had impacted and destroyed much of the armor of the opposing heavy tank. Another shrill sound approached through the dust-ridden air, and another mortar round struck the tank, destroying much of the barrel of its gun, as well as the some of the turret itself. Astonished, the survivors of Squad 3 were still a bit confused, but they took advantage of the confusion that was now ensuing their enemy. Several militia-men and women raised their rifles and arms and opened fire on the Imperials, pushing them mortar rounds impounded the Imperials, dividing much of the force's attention from their Gallian enemies, to the artillery firing on them.

As the remnants of Squad 3 made their stand, a radio signal came in, contacting all Gallians in the area. The voice was of a young man.

_"Sorry we're late. This is Squad 1 leader, Lieutenant Faldio Landzaat reporting. We heard there was some trouble out there. We'll be backing you up with more troops, as well as some artillery support we managed to capture from an Imperial camp. Let's work together to drive these guys out. Lieutenant Landzaat out."_

As the transmission was cut off, some of the troops went as far as cheering, as the morale in went up drastically. Coming out of the cupola of the turret, Lieutenant Drake took a good look at his soldiers, before waving forward his hand, towards the retreating Imperial force.

"You heard Landzaat! Regroup with Squad 1, and take out any opposition along the way! We'll take down every last one of 'em! Squad 3, move out!"

The Lieutenant went back down inside the tank, and closed the hatch. Drake's specialized tank, the Valkyrian Tiger, soon went forth, with much of the soldiers following in suit. A couple of engineers were still working on the other tank that was damaged earlier, while the medics as well as other volunteers helped try to heal the wounded.

Peter looked amongst the injured, looking for his Elizabeth. Luckily, she wasn't wounded, but she must be off with the other forces that were moving. The scout bid farewell to his friends and squad-mates, and ran as fast as he could, trying to catch up with the main Gallian force.

* * *

Peter trekked more expanses of desert alongside the tank and its escorts, taking out any unfortunate foot soldiers that happened to be in its way. He couldn't find Elizabeth yet, even _if_ there was barely fifteen troops alongside him. Peter found himself picking off enemies while mostly staying in a group with other soldiers to help better his chance for survival. As they progressed along, more and more blue uniforms were entering the fray, presumably Squad 1 soldiers. Their presence slowly tipped the edge in their favor, while consequently making it harder for Peter to track his friend down. But at that moment, he didn't seem to be complaining. They seemed to be turning this horrible loss into a real fast one, and the militia might be able to salvage a huge victory from their first struggles in this desert skirmish, to defeat the huge opposing force. Mortars occasionally rained hell on the fleeing soldiers, while some of the tank brigade from Squad 1 marched on the battlefield, lead by Landzaat himself, like a bunch of Valkyrur storming in to save everyone from the old ancient menace that plagued Europa.

Peter never saw how ironic that analogy would come to be later on in the battle.

Amidst the bullets, mortars, bodies, and waves of soldiers on both sides of the conflict, a strange azure flame was standing within the Imperial's ranks. It slowly moved out toward the front of the ranks of Imp soldiers. And within that blue flame, stood what appeared to be a person. While some of the Gallians continued with their assault, others were bewildered by the sight, not knowing what the hell that thing was. Several chatters could be heard around the troops from the squads, unsure of how to react at such an appearance.

* * *

Lieutenant Drake himself opened the top hatch of his turret, and using a pair of binoculars, he peered at the sight. What he saw was truly unusual, and part of him laughed at himself at what he saw, while the other part prayed his old eyes were merely playing tricks on him.

A woman bathed in a blue flame, carrying an unmistakable cobalt lance and shield. Pure strands of white hair was fluttering about, as her devilish red eyes seemed to be looking straight back at Drake, even from the far distance he was observing her from. Her scarlet eyes narrowed, almost as if they were looking straight into the old lieutenant's soul.

"What... the hell is she...? Could it... no, it can't be..."

It was just stupid just thinking about it. They were a bunch of fairy tales. And if they even were real, they were supposed to be extinct or something. But when he saw through the binoculars, the image of the woman raising her lance and pointing it straight into Drake's face, there was no denying it.

The Empire had a Valkyria in their ranks.

Still looking through the lenses, the lance began to spiral and started to glow much more fiercely, along with the matching shield she carried. Not many things surprised the grizzled EW1 veteran. But this actually made him shriek in terror. Then, his vision was blinded by a bright azure light.

Moments later, the Valkyrian Tiger, with Lieutenant Drake with it, were cast into a large ragnite-induced explosion, leaving nothing but a heap scrap metal and cobalt flame where the tank once stood.

* * *

Peter was knocked off his feet by a massive shockwave, that just seemed to come out of the blue, with no hint or indication as to where it came from. Feeling slightly disoriented getting up, Peter was shocked to realize what sight awaited him. A massive crater and blue flame stood where Drake's tank was. A path of scorched earth led up to the point where the tank was destroyed. Peter looked down the trail until realized the point of origin. The azure flame off in the distance had a much more visible figure in its wake, even from the distance Peter was looking through. The person appeared to have a feminine figure, while she carried a massive glowing weapon amidst the blue embers. What kind of Imperial arms had such devastating power? The Bruhler was even more terrified when the woman started leading the army behind her towards the scattered forces of the militia. While Squad 1 might last a little longer, Squad 3 had just lost their leader, and things within the squad were pretty hectic as it was. Peter saw her raise her weapon, which appeared to be a lance, in the general direction of the militia forces. He then heard her chilling voice echo through the entire battlefield, and was guaranteed to send a shiver down the spines of every Gallian soldier in the area.

_"Soldiers of Gallia," _she called out. _"Surrender now, or perish and be buried beneath the sands of Barious!__"_

A tank from Squad 1 responded with a tank shell flying her way. In a lightning-fast reaction, she raised her lance and swatted the tank shell away, as if it were a mere fly. Miraculously, she remained unscathed. Then, the lance, as well as the womans entire body, erupted in cobalt flame with much more ferocity. Aiming her lance, a powerful beam of light was emitted, destroying the very landscape as it went, easily destroying the tank and everyone unlucky enough to be caught in the blast.

_"Very well then. I shall promise to make this quick. To arms, my men! And may we succeed for the glory of the Empire and His Grace!" _

Several rallied war cries from the Imperial side made their impression on the Gallians, as their forces started backing away, while the Imperials started marching forward. Some of the mortars Squad 1 had taken were concentrating fire on the woman, swatting the shells away and blocking them with her shield. Any foot soldiers foolish enough to get in her way were either impaled by the lance, or vaporized by another beam.

As all this happened, Peter was running for his very life. Some others did the same, while others continued to fight on. Peter didn't dare look behind him, as the screams and gunfire already painted a bloody picture of the carnage in his mind. What the hell was that woman? Is she even human? He already had his doubts about the war, just because of her. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. It had to be. Or a nightmare. Whatever the hell this was, knew he needed to get out of this mess, and fast. Peter was catching up to the point where the medics were trying to heal the wounded. Among the injured and broken, Peter noticed an unmistakeable blonde laying on the ground, with a medic attending her.

"Elizabeth!"

Peter quickly knelt down, next to her, while the medic continued working. From the looks of it, she was hit a couple of times in the leg. The medic continued working frivolously, while bullets were still flying on both sides.

"Lizzy, you alright? Doc, is she gonna be alright?"

The medic didn't bother to look at him, but she nodded in response. Elizabeth slowly turned her head towards Peter.

"Pete? Is that you?" Lizzy asked weakly.

"Yeah, Lizzy. I'm here for ya. C'mon. Soon as you get healed, we gotta high-tail it outta here," Peter said, gesturing the medic to hurry.

"W-where's Dan?"

Peter cringed at what he knew was coming next. "Dan... he's dead. I'm... I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

The blonde shocktrooper raised her eyes in surprise, then slowly closed them mournfully. Peter found the look on her face to be heart-breaking. However, the moment was broken, as the medic operating on Elizabeth was shot, yelping before falling face-flat to the ground. Peter ran over and shook her a bit. When there was no response, Peter started panicking.

"Doc? Doc, you okay?!" He turned the body over and was horrified to see a bullet wound in the neck. Looking over his shoulder, the scout saw the Imps coming in. Peter took aim with his rifle towards the Imperials on his trail. He noticed that the woman wasn't leading a force straight towards his position, thankfully, but a sizeable force of Imperials were still marching toward him nonetheless. At least that witch was nowhere to be found. Scouts seemed to make it farthest ahead, and Peter aimed through the irons and fired at each one. He had lost a friend today, had a wounded friend next to him, and there was no way in hell he'd lose her too. And that proved to be one hell of an invigorating force. He aimed, he fired, then repeated. Each of the enemies let out a shriek and yell, as they crumpled in the sands. After the immediate threat was gone, Peter quickly grabbed the Ragnaid kit the medic had with her, and tried helping Elizabeth. However, he wasn't very skilled with the specialized healing methods medics were trained with. He simply grabbed a Ragnaid capsule, applied it to Elizabeth's wounds, and hoped for the best. He also applied some Ragnaid dressings for good measure, but beyond that, Peter's inept medical prowess stopped right there. However, more troops were marching in, and both Peter and Elizabeth needed to get the hell out of there.

"Lizzy, can you walk?"

The shocktrooper struggled to get up, but before she could fall back down, Peter lent a hand and lifted her up himself. She then put an arm around his neck, while Peter leaded. As the two struggled onward, a radio signal was heard incoming once again. Faldio's voice.

_"Ugh... Damn... This is Lieutenant Faldio Landzaat. This is to all remaining militia personnel: pull out. I repeat! Pull out, now! We're taking too many casualties. We won't last long against them and that... that Valkyria...! Retreat now! That's an order! We've got armored convoys from Randgriz near the position of our mortars. The location is in the southeast, near some ruins. We'll be waiting as long as we can, but if that woman shows signs of coming toward our position, we've got to pull out without you guys. I hope to see you guys through. Landzaat out."  
_

"Valkyira...?" the Bruhler muttered. "Is that even possible?" Shaking the thoughts off for another time, Peter checked his compass, and looked towards the southeast. Looking through his scout's binoculars, he could already see a group of ruins, and some APCs, trucks, and other vehicles waiting. He turned his attention to Elizabeth.

"You heard Landzaat. I'll help you out. We'll take it easy, but we got to hurry, too. Let's go, Lizzy."

The girl nodded, and Peter practically had to carry most of the weight of the girl, but they had to get moving. With the Imperial force so close, they didn't have much time before they'd end up getting slaughtered like the rest of the squad.

* * *

Adrenaline was coursing through Peter, as he was practically dragging Elizabeth with him. Dodging enemy fire while helping someone walk wasn't exactly an ideal position. At least, with her free arm, Elizabeth tried taking pot shots with her machine gun, though the gun was horribly inaccurate as is, let alone aiming with one arm over your shoulder.

The convoy was so close. It was within Peter's sights. Freedom and safety was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Peter used all his strength to try and support Elizabeth's weight, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain, and one of his legs suddenly gave. Peter and Elizabeth both fell on sandy grounds, struggling. The scout noticed his right leg was bleeding. He struggled to get back on his feet, using his rifle to help prop himself up. Peter felt himself being hoisted up, and when he saw this time it was Elizabeth assisting _him_, he knew that they had a fighting chance to survive. Using his rifle as a sort of makeshift cane, Peter hobbled over with his friend towards the evacuation point. Upon closer inspection, the ruins were used an encampment for the Empire's mortars, which Squad 1 used for themselves. However, they had abandoned their positions there, though machine gun positions were still being occupied to help the survivors. Some tanks were also there, though some were already rolling out, possibly retreating towards Kloden. One of the gunners acknowledged their two new fellow soldiers, and an engineer from Squad 1 helped escort them to a nearby APC, where some medics, as well as several other injured and tired militia soldiers were waiting. The gunner meanwhile took down any stragglers still pursuing them.

As Peter and Elizabeth boarded a troop-transport truck, a medic quickly operated on Peter's leg. His procedures stung like hell, but it was either that, or use a crutch for a while. Peter looked around the cramped vehicle, it almost felt like his ride earlier today, before the first shots were fired on Squad 3. Except... it was much, much more bleak and depressing. Amongst the faces, most were unrecognizable, most likely from Squad 1. But a few were from Squad 3, including his engineer friend, Rusty. However, the red-head had his eyes closed in a very forlorn fashion, probably mourning his lost comrades. Even his old sergeant was there, though he seemed to be... crying? Peter always knew the man as very level-headed and rather cheerful. But the tension and defeated looks on everyone's faces wrote a thousand stories, each with their own sad and morbid ending. Hell, some of them were in worse shape than he was, making Peter wonder why the medic was bothering with his leg than trying to heal the gash on that mans arm, or the incessant bleeding on that woman's temple.

"I think this truck's full on passengers. We best get going, before the witch and more Imps show up," said the medic addressing the driver. The driver up front nodded, and started the engine. The car slowly rumbled, and drifted away. Peter could slowly feel his eyes growing a bit more heavy, as the sounds of bullets, screaming, and dying faded away. He tucked the front of his worn old cap over his eyes once again, and drifted off...

* * *

"Wake up. Peter...? Peter, get your ass up!"

Woken from his rather short respite, Peter noticed Elizabeth getting out of the truck along with the other passengers inside the truck. She was standing on her own two feet unassisted, which seemed like a good sign, but the fact she was holding her MAGs machine gun in her hand led to some doubtful thoughts.

"W-what's going on?" Peter asked, lifting his hat up from his eyes.

"We gotta help Squad, 7! You know, _your_ squad? They drove the Imperial forces back! We gotta make sure they get out of this scorching desert for good!"

Peter immediately snapped out of any sort of grogginess he may have had. "Squad 7?" he repeated. Throughout this whole battle, he'd almost completely forgotten about them. _"God, if Welkin, Alicia, and all the others were there, some the others were there, we might not have suffered as many casualties as we did. Maybe even Dan would be alive..._" he thought.

"Snap out of it! This is our chance, Peter! Now let's go!" Elizabeth continued.

Peter noticed his Gallian was right at his side, and grabbing it tightly, the Bruhler was determined to be reunited with his friends. Hopping out, Peter saw with his eyes, the very bewildering sight before him. Several tanks and militia soldiers, spear-headed by Welkin and the Edelweiss. And in front of them... the whole Imperial army at Barious, fleeing. Everyone that was left from Squads 1 and 3 rallied behind Lieutenant Gunther, driving back the invaders. Peter ran alongside his fellow militia troops, ready to give the Imps some of their own medicine. Using his speed, Peter quickly tried heading up to the front lines of the assault, with Squad 7, and to make those Imps pay dearly for what he had done to his old squad. Some of the familiar faces could be seen, including some of the shocktroopers like Rosie, Vyse, Jane, and others. Peter knew he was in good company, and it was nice to be back. He faught back fiercely, firing his rifle until it ran out of its ammo. And when that happened, Peter resorted to his sidearm. He was truly invigorated, finally seeing Gallia having the upper hand in this fight. After so much bloodshed and death, he could finally be able to live another day. Even the so-called "Valkyria" was in the Imp's ranks, trying to rally an army, only for it to fall on deaf ears. Seeing as how this was to be a futile effort, and winning this fight is hopeless, even the witch retreated with her soldiers.

And when he saw the Empire's forces retreat over the sandy hills, and nothing in sight, Peter and the Militia couldn't help but shout and cheer.

* * *

After the cheering and celebration, Peter found himself surprisingly saddened all of a sudden. Sure, they won, but at what cost? So many lives lost on his old squad. Maybe... just maybe if he had just stuck with Squad 7, this wouldn't be getting to him so badly. But seeing them die with his own two eyes... It finally occurred to him that Dan and several old friends from Squad 3 were now dead. Hell, even Peter would miss the old bastard of a lieutenant he once had. After all the conflict, all that sorrow and mourning he'd bottled up in the battle let itself go. Reaching down in his pocket, he looked at the dog tags his friend had given him earlier, just before his self-proclaimed righteous act. Peter gripped the dog tags tightly, remembering his friend so.

"Peter?"

Peter turned his head to person acknowledging his presence. Elizabeth stood, while other Squad 1 and 3 personnel were boarding the trucks to get back to Randgriz. Wiping a stray tear, the former watchman took his eyes of the tags in his hands.

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna be going soon. And you've got a squad to go back to. I, uh, guess this is goodbye?" she said, shifting about.

"Yeah... I guess this is," Peter said, more as a whisper to himself. With a few steps forward, Elizabeth opened her arms. Taking the gesture, Peter hugged his only true remaining Squad 3 friend left. As they left each other's embrace, Peter glanced at the tags in his hand one more time, before calling out to the trooper. "Hey, I think you should take these," he said, offering the dog tags to Elizabeth. She took them in awe and melancholy, as she looked at the name inscribed.

"These were... Dan's?" she asked.

"Yeah. He gave them to me... but I think he'd want to you to have them. You... you were special to him Lizzy. Whether you know it or not..."

Elizabeth nodded, more tears streaming from her face. She looked at them one last time, before holding them against her heart and pocketing them. "Thanks, Pete. I'm gonna miss you. But I'm sure we'll meet up again some day." She waved goodbye, and boarded a truck. As the motors started running, she gave one final look and wave back, as the truck finally rolled out, and Elizabeth was no longer in sight. Peter took another deep sigh. He didn't exactly give the dog tags to her because he thought she'd appreciate them more than he would. That was part of it, but to be honest, he gave them away as a means to try and forget about Dan quicker. It was a horrible thing to even think of, but for Peter, he felt he wouldn't do his squad much good, moping around for a dead friend. Peter searched through his pouches and bags for a particular item. When he found his old flask, Peter took a quick swig of the contents inside. God knew he needed it. Pocketing it, he heard subtle footsteps approaching him.

"P-Peter...?"

That shy bordering-on-whisper voice was very recognizable. Slowly turning his head, Peter noticed his long-time friend and squad-mate, Susie Evans.

"Susie..." he muttered, somewhat surprised to see her.

"Oh my god..." A tear slowly dripped from her porcelain face, as she tightly wrapped her arms around him. "W-when I saw that you weren't here when we faced the Imperials... and when the radio said Squad 3 suffered heavy losses, I..." she trailed off, muttering incoherent things, as she buried her face in Peter's chest. Hesitating, he comfortingly put an arm around her, slowly silencing her sobs.

It was at this point Peter realized Susie was one of the reasons why he was fighting this war, and why Dan's death hadn't made him go insane yet. He was fighting for Susie. He was fighting for Bruhl. He was fighting for Dan. For Elizabeth. For Noce. For his friends. And for his country. He hasn't lost everything yet. He had lost one friend already today, and many of the memories of Squad 3, were now in the were now that, and nothing more. Squad 3 would probably get disbanded because of the heavy casualties. And as he held Susie in his arms, Peter was determined not to let her, or anyone or anything else go.

* * *

**Damn it... It's half past midnight, and I finally got this freakin' chapter done. Jesus, 9,280 words (excluding final A/N)! Sorry if it was too long, or I could've divided this in two chapters... I'm tired... Alright, there might be some errors riddled throughout and the end might've been a bit fast paced and sloppy. Hell, this chapter was one of the ones I had planned out when I first wrote the first chapters. And it took this long just out. I really should have given you guys higher quality for taking this long. Sorry if the section near the end is messed up in any way. I might have gotten sloppy. And the ending cheesy. But hey! It's 12:37 out here, as I post this up! Give me a break, and I might just edit this. But seriously, Valkyria Chronicles has some really high standards for its works if you want to be taken seriously. *Sigh* And with this, I finally lay my weary fingers from this keyboard for a well-deserved respite. I'll try my best to get the next chapter faster.**

**~Mr. Wang  
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	11. Chapter 11

**Damn it, I have been without internet and updates for too long! Seriously, I'm pissed. Most of you are probably like "holy crap, you're alive?!" Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder that myself. And on the eve of Valentine's day (or if you're reading this right now, it probably is Valentines day. It's 11:42 PM here in the west coast.) In any case, I want to make a shout-out to those of you who are patient. Thanks. This chapter took a lot of work, but I think I've progressed a lot since my first chapters. At first, I was a bit nervous considering all the high standards here. But now, I think I'm up for the challenges here. I'm just so swamped in my studies and projects right now. But listening to Valkyria Chronicles tracks while writing helps a hell of a lot than you'd think. Sets the mood. I sometimes read with music on. "Desperate Fight" in particular helped me. But for now, I'll keep trying to write, update, and all that good stuff so you vultures can get off my ass for a while. Naw, I'm just kiddin' around. Seriously though, thanks for reading.**

**NOTE: This is the longest chapter I have posted to date: Do not read unless you _really_ have the time for it.**

**NOTE 2.0: Updated the chapter, adding in some scenes and details. Minor, but enough to satisfy some of  
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Peter Rothchild advanced alongside Squad 7, thankful he was once again in their company. Most of the squad, with the exception of Susie and other squad members somewhat close or knowledgeable to Peter, never knew that he left. Leaving the torn desert behind them, the militia retreated towards the safety of the Kloden Wildwood, then take a detour straight back to base in Randgriz. Despite the retreat of the main Imperial forces, some of the stragglers and those with a grudge still focused on making the Gallians' life hell. But for now, as Squad 7 gradually trekked across Eastern Gallia, down towards Kloden, the raging winds and sandy ruins soon turned into the somewhat familiar sight of tall trees, soft soil, and grass and shrubs everywhere. The sight was much more welcoming than that of the dry and ruined sands of Barious, and the dead silence of the forests was a lot more calming, though some of the more paranoid members thought of Kloden being too quiet. And the dark night sky was also unnerving, using only the headlights of their vehicles to make the environment a little brighter. Handheld flashlights were passed around too, though the engineers and a few scouts were the only ones that had them on their person.

Much of Squad 7 was tired and exhausted from their previous battle. From what he had heard from Susie, Noce, and the others, they had to battle a huge tank that was lead by Maximilian himself. Prince Maximilian! What was the commander of the entire Imperial invasion force doing there? Why lead a force in that hellhole? As Peter pondered this, he wondered if he had truly endured the toughest battle of Barious, though seeing that there were only wounded soldiers and seemingly low casualties, Peter thought that Squad 7 must've gotten the easy way out, though the thought of a giant tank almost three times as big as the Edelweiss was a rather frightening concept.

Peter could almost fall asleep within the woods. The night sky above them, as well silence that accompanied it made for an easing sight, compared to what everyone had experienced earlier. Though there was still some idle and casual chattering, as well as some whining and complaining from members such as Edy about how tired they are, and how they are slowly getting more and more fatigued from the fighting and marching along. Homer was currently being forced to play piggy-back with the noisy and pompous girl, while she dozed and snoozed on his shoulder. Peter had no idea how anyone could put up with her. Then again, Homer _was_ a masochist, so it made some sense as to why he accompanied her. Peter noticed Lynn support and walk with her lover, Karl, and the Bruhler noticed the leg wound he had on him, which looked much worse than his own he had received earlier today. His was already healed up by now. Welkin walked around on foot conversing with Alicia, possibly about future plans, with Noce probably fuming about it in the distance. Though its commander was outside, Isara piloted the Edelweiss as it rumbled loudly and lead the way for the squad, its treads stamping and crushing the small bushes and trees in its ways. With the exception of the bustle from the tank, most of the squad was silent, though there was the occasional conversation, cry, or other audible sounds coming from the soldier's mouths. Eventually, the squad came to a small clearing, relatively free of trees.

"Okay, 7's. This seems like a good place to stop and rest. We won't be able to set up camp just yet, but we'll take a brief respite here," Welkin stated, as he gestured the tank and truck to stop. Several sighs were let out, soldiers relieved they would be taking a break, while others let out more frustrated moans and groans, annoyed that their respite wouldn't be for the night. Nevertheless, the tired soldiers would take what they could get before moving on. Taking out some food and supplies, the squad set up a temporary camp here. Peter took advantage of the opportunity and lied down on the forest soil. The aroma was very... nostalgic of the countryside. Cut down some of the trees here, and this might not be a bad place to live. As the watchman rested his hands behind his head and laid his body on the ground, Peter was met with the night sky, and the sea of stars with it. The sight reminded him of the conversation he once had with Susie a while back. She babbled on about the stars, like Noce would about Alicia's looks, while Susie and Peter star gazed together. Peter never really knew the true meaning of her words back then. Hell, he _still_ didn't know what the hell she was talking about. But, seeing the stars again, after what he'd been through today, maybe the words yielded a bit more understanding to him. He adjusted the front of his cap and contemplated.

_"I mean, I find it truly beautiful, that despite the war, and all the evils surrounding the world, some things stay beautiful. Something just as simple and pure as the night sky..."_

_"It's... kind of sad though. I mean, this is possibly the last time we ever see these stars. So every night... I gaze in the at the night sky, somewhat as a distraction from the harsh reality of war... and savor it's precious moments..."_

Heh. Noce should put that into a poem. But in all seriousness, Peter felt that Susie did have some sort of point hidden within her clichéd words. However, as he thought about the strange meanings, he couldn't help but feel drowsy, and the serene sight of the stars didn't help either. Someone was probably going to rudely wake him up, but a good five minute's rest could go a long way for Peter.

However, just as his mind and awareness of the environment around him was fading, Peter felt the surface of the ground rumbling. At first, he thought that the tank was merely driving nearby and paid no attention to it. But after hearing an explosion soon after, and the squad's frenzied and panicked screams, Peter woke without a trace of grogginess. Grabbing his rifle, Peter desperately ran, though without a set path, he was merely running around aimlessly. A whistling sound went off in the air, before another explosion ensued, toppling over the trees, Gallians running with every man or woman for themselves. As he saw a few more shells raining down from the night sky, Peter fearfully realized that they were currently being bombarded by enemy artillery fire. Yelping when an explosion went off too close for comfort, Peter made a mad dash in the opposite direction. Not paying attention, the Scout collided straight into another squad mate, both of whom fell backwards on the forest soil. Quickly getting up and checking his bearings, he saw Susie Evans lying on the ground next to him.

"Susie! What the hell is going on?!"

"I... I don't know! I was just talking to a friend, next thing I know we're being attacked! Lieutenant Gunther and Alicia were knocked off a cliff by the artillery blast! We have no command right now! What do we do? What do we do!?" Susie screamed, saying all of that in one panicked breath.

"Susie, calm the hell down! We'll get outta this thing alive! C'mon!"

Peter always had to help calm Susie down when in the middle of a bleak looking situation such as a battlefield, but what angered Peter was the fact that he can't really help everyone. He's just a scout. And there are plenty of things outside his control that he can't do much about. Like when Dan died earlier in the previous battle.

_"I lost a good friend today, and damn it, I'm not about to lose another!" _

Grabbing Susie's hand, Peter ran as fast as he could, practically dragging the frightened girl towards the direction where most of the squad was heading. However, as artillery fire became more focused on Squad 7's position, the militia soldiers started darting out in several different directions, disappearing in the woods. Peter became slightly confused as the squad broke up, leading him to hesitate as to which path he should go in. Suddenly, another artillery shell bombarded the area, the shockwave making Peter and Susie lose their balance while running and causing them to fall to the ground. Suddenly Peter heard Susie scream. Panicking as he looked up from his prone position on the ground, he saw that there was the edge of a cliff where Susie was supposed to be.

"Susie!"

Crawling forward towards the edge, Peter peered down and saw the blonde slowly trying to get herself up. Peter could see that she was also bleeding on her arm.

"Peter!" she called out, as she looked above her head.

"Susie, you hurt? Here, take this!" Peter tossed a Ragnaid capsule down. Susie caught it with her good arm and applied it to her injured arm. She struggled to get up, but another figure appeared next to her. Another Squad 7 soldier Peter hadn't met, from the looks of it. This one was a woman, with black hair that flowed down her face, cloaking her left eye. Peter had heard stories of this particular woman, especially from Ted and Melville. Marina offered a hand to help Susie up, which she hesitantly accepted. Susie eyed the sniper cautiously as she got up on her feet. She seemed unnerved by her presence. Peter saw Marina look up from her position towards him.

"We'll find our own way and regroup with the rest of the squad. I suggest you do the same."

Peter found it odd that she could talk calmly, and without yelling in the chaotic background, yet he could clearly understand her. As if maybe he just read her lips. Marina glanced at Susie, who flinched in response, before walking and disappearing into the forest. Susie looked up back at Peter.

"She's right. We'll be okay Peter. We'll regroup with anyone we can find on the way," Susie said, before reluctantly following in Marina's path.

Nodding, Peter got up from the ground and continued onward. It annoyed Peter that not after five minutes of swearing to be at his friend's side does he find himself separated from her. But for now, all he could do was run from the raining hell the Imps were inflicting on the people. Even though artillery would land at somewhat of a distance from Peter, the tall trees that made up the famous Kloden Wildwood were toppling down, giving more than enough reason to run as fast as he could. As Peter ran from the Imperials bringing the whole forest down, he saw someone trapped under a tree.

"Help me!"

Almost without thinking, Peter attempted to rush to the girl's aid. The girl had blonde hair in a bun, and her face looked very young. She was crying and yelping as she tried to get her leg out from under the tree. Adrenaline kicking in, Peter attempted to lift the massive tree from her leg. But no matter how much he struggled, the tree wouldn't budge.

"Need some help, Peter?"

Peter looked to his side to see Claudia Mann attempting to lift the tree with him. Despite her unusual trademark she had been labeled with, her timing was most fortuitous. Even though Claudia was a rather small girl, her assistance was all Peter needed to lift the tree for a few seconds, just so the girl could free herself. Both of them dropping it immediately, Claudia came to the girl's aid with some Ragnaid.

"Dorothy? Dorothy, talk to me! You gonna be alright?" Claudia asked.

Dorothy nodded, though when she stood up, she had a limp. She yelped as she stumbled a bit before being caught by Claudia.

"C'mon. We have to get moving. We can help you walk, Dorothy, but we have to move. It ain't the best idea to stand here like a bunch of idiots when the sky's falling on us," Peter explained, gesturing them to hurry the hell up.

"Can you walk, Dorothy?" Claudia asked.

Dorothy tested walking a few steps. She would be able to walk, though she couldn't run without any assistance. Still, Dorothy put an arm around Claudia so she could be supported by her.

"Alright, let's go! Let's go!" Peter ordered, trying to stay at a pace where they were still in his sights. Even though he was all for trying to stay in a group, Peter knew that this was a bit of a hindrance to be waiting for Claudia and Dorothy while he trudged ahead. He wanted to shout out for the two girls to hurry, but another falling tree from an artillery blast said a lot more than words, as they rushed faster to narrowly avoid it. The continuing chaos rang through the once-peaceful forest, as more people scrambled about in several directions. Suddenly, Peter heard a shriek coming from behind him.

"Peter, a little help here?" Claudia called out.

Dorothy tripped up and was on the ground again. Cursing, Peter grudgingly ran back to help her up. However, another large tree was tipping over, straight at Claudia and Dorothy.

"Go! Run!" Peter said, dashing to their aid. Claudia looked up and panicked as she ran away to safety. Dorothy was hopelessly trying to crawl away. Rushing faster than ever, Peter grabbed Dorothy's hand and dragged her away. Once again narrowly avoiding death, Peter hoisted the blonde up to her feet. Claudia wasn't too far away as she caught up with the group.

"Gee, you sure got knack for saving people, Peter... if only I was that lucky..." Claudia said, trying to talk despite being winded from running.

"Trust me, if I was that good at saving people, we wouldn't have suffered many casualties back at Barious..." Peter said, reminiscing the tragic losses of Squad 3.

Claudia said nothing as they continued making a mad dash toward some sort of haven or shelter from the hail fire. However, when the three saw an incoming artillery shell that looked like it was heading straight at them, they were at a loss for words, and even shocked to the point of being frozen in panic. Peter ran, while grabbing Claudia's arm as she stood still and Dorothy still moved at a snail's pace. However, all hope seemed lost when the artillery shell came ever closer, and the whistling sound of death was inbound.

"Just my luck..." Claudia mumbled.

"Aw, shi-"

Peter's words were cut off, as he felt himself get knocked off his feet. In an instant, he felt cuts and scrapes all over his body, as he tumbled down. He was moving at a fast pace, his sights were a blur as he moved involuntarily downward, until a strong hit to the head blackened all his perception. Feeling around his body was dampened, until it was removed altogether. His consciousness dived out soon after.

* * *

"Peter? Peter, are you alright? C'mon, don't die on me now!"

Eyes slowly slid opened. A blurry figure was before him. The voice was... familiar. Judging from the pitch, it was female. Was it Susie? No... Susie had blonde hair, and even in his blurred state, Peter could tell that the person in front of him had some dark tone to her hair. Then there was the pain on the back of his head. Peter rubbed the aching part and felt the moist warm feeling of blood. As he looked around to check his surrounding, the blurs and shapes started to focus and become more clear. The oblong in front of him shaped into a face. And the other figures behind her was that of two other people. As Peter turned back to the person in front of him, the face was much more recognizable. Once realizing who she was, he took a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Peter... Thank Valkyrur!" Claudia cried out. Before Peter could respond, the engineer held him tightly.

"Yeah, Claudia? Mind to tell me what the hell is going on?" Peter asked, becoming a bit awkward in the position he was in right now.

"Oh, right..." Claudia let go of Peter before explaining. "You've been unconscious for over an hour now. We dragged you out here, so we should be safe here, for now."

At the thought of where "here" was, Peter looked around his surroundings. He wasn't in the center of a dense forest right now. He appeared to be in a cave. A small campfire was made in the center of it, shining the area with an orange hue. Behind Claudia, there was Dorothy and another Squad 7 soldier whom Peter didn't recognize. He was a boy, maybe a couple years younger than Peter. He had a distinctive x shaped scar in his forehead. Judging from the rifle and light gear he was carrying, he looked to be a sniper. He was eating what looked like an army ration, his face clearly showing his distaste for it. Too bad Largo or Alicia weren't here. Their food was worthy of Princess Cordelia's own staff. But that wasn't the real concern right now. Behind Dorothy and the sniper was the exit towards the forests of Kloden.

"Where the rest of the squad?" Peter asked, wobbling a bit before getting up on his feet.

The three militia soldiers looked at each other with unease. The sniper piped in.

"We got separated from the rest of the group. For now, it's just me, you, Claudia, Dorothy, and Nils," he said. Beyond the cave entrance, Peter could make out a figure. He wasn't holding the lance, but the large blast shield mounted on his arm said it all. Nils was probably just keeping watch outside. "I'm Oscar, by the way." the sniper added.

Peter nodded and noticed the strange silence that hung within the air. Pondering, and trying to remember how he got here, the silence reminded him of something.

"When did the artillery fire stop?" Peter asked, wondering if the cavern would cave in on them from another mortar or artillery blast.

"About half an hour ago..." Dorothy said. "Me and Claudia had to drag you you someplace, and that wasn't really easy. We also found Oscar wounded, so we took him in too. Luckily Nils was here to help get you guys here in this cave. We figured it'd do until the artillery stops."

"Well then... should we all head out and try to find the rest of the squad?" Peter asked, grabbing his rifle that was resting against the wall.

"I, uh... I don't think so..." Claudia mumbled. "Well, you see... since the artillery stopped, they've sent in garrisons of troops out to hunt us in the woods. Soooo... I think we should just stick here and make camp until sunrise!" the engineer chirped cheerfully.

Peter raised a brow. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you crazy?"

"Aw, c'mon! But I'm tired, Peter! And Dorothy too..." Claudia exclaimed in a whiny voice. The headband wearing girl soon yawned after that statement.

"Okay, then what the hell's going to stop them from finding us when we're asleep, all helpless and vulnerable?" Peter asked, still not satisfied with the idea.

"Don't worry. Nils' will take watch!" Dorothy piped in.

"The lancer? What makes you think he can defend this place, or at least warn us 'till disaster strikes?"

"Oh, he's verrry territorial," Claudia mentioned. "He won't let the Imps take this place. Besides, shouldn't you rest too? I mean, you took nasty blow to the head, Peter."

Peter felt the the back of his head once again. Interestingly enough, he felt his brown frazzled hair, some blood, as well as the spot his wound was, though that wasn't his highest concern at the moment. "Any of you guys have my hat?" he asked.

Claudia nodded and took the blue felt cap from one of the pouches on her person. She handed it to the scout, who promptly wiped the some of the blood from his hair and rested it over his head. Judging from how much he wears it, she guesses that that was one of the only times she'll ever see him hatless. "Wow... guess if you're already worrying about a hat, then I guess you _are_ fine."

Peter nodded. Checking for ammunition on his person and seeing if any rounds were still in the clip, Peter loaded his Gallian and checked his equipment.

"Claudia, you have a radio ready?" Peter asked.

The headband clad girl shook her head. "No, it got damaged while we were running around and fell off the cliff..."

"Damn, we could have used that. Well, hold on... I've got my radio..."

Peter rummaged through his things and pulled out a radio, which looked serviceable, and in decent enough condition. Adjusting the frequencies to report to any and all 7's in the area, Peter attempted to communicate with anyone who might be out there. "This is Private Peter Rothchild of Squad 7! Can anybody hear me out there? Hello?!"

Static responded on the line. Some of the others looked somewhat down since nobody's voice came through the static. Not even comm chatter, or just noises that indicated a radio was being tossed around.

"This is Peter Rothchild of Squad 7! Is anyone out there?" he repeated. After about a couple minutes of static, and no voices to respond, most everyone had a resigned look of defeat on their face.

"I guess no one's out there... I'd think my brother wouldn't have been too far away, but..." Oscar sighed, pacing back and forth trying to see towards a plan. Refusing to stay here, and determined to regroup with the rest of the 7's, Peter stood in a more commanding and readied stance.

"Alright guys, listen up! We'll rest here for another five minutes, and it's off into the forests. I'm not going to sit here idly by, until some Imps come here to put holes in us. Now come on, we have to regroup with the rest of the squad and see what to do from there!" Peter said, issuing the orders to his teammates.

"Hey, who put you in charge?" Dorothy complained. "Besides, we don't even know where the rest of the 7's are!"

"We have to. Better going out there with a purpose than just sitting here. Besides, I have no intent on being left behind in the forests, while the rest of Squad 7 is out on their way to Randgriz! They won't be waiting on couple of grunts like us, and I have no intention of making Kloden my new home… or a grave. Now come on, who's with me?" Peter asked, with much of the voice of a commander.

"Peter's right!" Oscar exclaimed. "I've got a brother out there, and I intend on coming back to be at his side and help him. And we're not going to get there while we're here in this cave!"

The Sniper held his rifle tighter and stood at attention, much like how one would when faced to their superior officer. Dorothy piped in again.

"What are our chances of survival out there compared to here? What if we die out there?"

Peter had a more serious look to his face. "Some of us may die. All of us may die. It's war. But we'll all die _for sure_ if we just sit around and do nothing."

Oscar looked at the two girls, as if urging them to see Peter's direction. Claudia looked at the sight and shrugged.

"Alright, Peter. If you say so." The engineer also got up in a readied position, and topped it off with a mock salute to Peter. "I'll try my best!"

Dorothy looked at this and put a hand over her face. Exhaling a sigh, she came to terms and grabbed her MAGs machine gun from the ground and lined up next to the others.

"Well, if everybody else is doing it…"

Peter smiled at their cooperation, though it actually occurred to him that they were now looking up to him as if he were some sort of commanding figure. And _that_ started to put pressure and doubt into him already. Nevertheless, he was ready to head out with his new detachment.

Tightening the grip on his rifle and waiting for his fellow soldiers to get ready, Peter felt like a real commanding officer. It was scary, but something about was also exciting and invigorating.

_"Hehe… I bet Dad would be proud…" _Peter thought to himself. _"Huh... Dad... there's a guy I haven't thought of in a while..."_

"Everybody ready?" the newly appointed commander asked.

When everybody nodded, Peter kicked out the fire and led his troops outside of the cave. Nils was waiting outside. Upon a closer inspection, Peter noticed the man was several years older than Peter, and he had a very gruff and hardened look to him. He looks like he has seen conflict, yet he looks too young to have fought in the first war. He inhaled a breath from his cigarette, practically exhaling in Peter's face when he noticed him.

"What the hell's going on? Why are we leaving?" Nils asked Peter, raising a brow.

"We're regrouping with the rest of the squad. We're not going to wait here before the Imps shoot us all while we're sleeping. C'mon. We might be able to find some other people out there," Peter said, turning his attention to the path ahead, the dense forests of Kloden.

"Hmph. Finally, a bit of command here. I'm tired of following these little girls' bullshit orders. I'm with you. Completely," Nils said, picking up his Lancaar. Taking another breath from his smoke, he flicked it aside and followed the team. Peter made no comment on Claudia and Dorothy's supposed "orders," though the two did scoff and felt disgusted at Nils' rudeness.

"Alright guys. Let's move out," Peter ordered, moving forward, into the unforgiving wilderness, with the rest of the militia soldiers following in suit.

* * *

"Oh, come on Peter! Face it, we're lost!"

Peter ignored Dorothy's comment and continued following his compass. He knew that the squad was heading out due west toward central Gallia, so he decided that that was as good as any place to go. However, with the lack of progress in finding any fellow 7's over the last hour, some of the others were getting impatient.

"Sure that blow to the head didn't really affect you? I mean, we're walking and walking, and I think we were better off in the cave…"

"Will you just be quiet for a minute, Dorothy!?" Peter said, desperately trying not to raise his voice to alert a possible Imperial patrol. "Look: This is war, alright? You joined the militia, so I should guess that you know the hardships and tough work that requires, right? Not to mention the fact that death lies right around every corner…"

"Hey, it wasn't my choice to join the militia, buddy! You don't need to be such an asshole over this! I was forced to join because of the government conscription and the fact that most of Fouzen was burnt to the ground! I don't need any of your-"

"Guys, both of you! Stop!" Claudia intervened. Both of them ignored her as the two started to escalate their argument. Peter looked like he wanted to pay attention to Claudia's plea, though his face showed he was visibly annoyed and more focused on Dorothy. The blonde was huffing, and her face was turning red, possibly out of anger, embarrassment of some sort, or some kind of quirk or tendency she has when talking.

Nils merely watched in bemused silence as the two raised their voice. He noticed Oscar looking through his scope lens, before the young man gasped. Through his sniper scope, he noticed a camouflaged gun emplacement. It looked like a mortar, and was no doubt one of the guns responsible for the bombardment earlier. But what worried the sniper more was the sight of an armed crew stationed around it, including at least two snipers. He gestured Nils to crouch down behind a natural barrier of shrubs and bushes. The man nodded and did so, but when Oscar turned his attention to the rest of them, they were a little less cooperative.

"Um… Guys? We've got company…!" the sniper said, trying to convince his teammates to get down and silence their discussion. His warning fell on deaf ears.

"I for one think this is just pointless, guys! Look, we've all got our problems and stuff, and it's no reason to fight abo-"

Claudia's words were interrupted by the sniper round grazing her arm. She yelped before falling to the ground, and Peter and Dorothy came to their senses to the unlucky girl's aid. Blood coursed through the bicep of her left arm. However it didn't look too bad enough to waste a Ragnaid capsule on. Maybe some bandages. Peter looked through one of the pouches on his waist full of basic first aid supplies. The Bruhler quickly wrapped the white cloth around Claudia's arm to stop the bleeding.

"You alright?" Peter asked, making sure the bandage was on tight enough.

"Yeah… thanks Peter…" Claudia replied, soothing her arm.

"Uh, yeah… Like I said earlier, we've got company," Oscar mentioned. He pulled out his sniper rifle and looked through the scope. "Let's see… We've got two…"

Oscar pulled the trigger of his sniper. After the light recoil, the boy loaded another round in the chamber.

"…one enemy sniper… And… four, no, five soldiers inbound. Three troopers and two scouts…" Oscar said, continuing his sighting and recon. It was soon ended prematurely by a hail fire of bullets coming from enemy machine guns. "Damn! Get ready guys!"

Claudia and Nils loaded a Lancaar round into the latter's lance, while Peter and Dorothy raised their weapons. Rustling in the bushes was faint in the distance, but was increasingly getting louder as the Imperials neared.

"Everyone, get behind something!" Peter said, pressing up behind a tree. Everyone took positions around, spreading out to the left and right, hiding behind trees and bushes, prepping for their flanking positions.

Everyone took cover behind the thick bushes and tree of the forest. Oscar ran back farther to try and provide covering fire with his sniper rifle. They all took aim, as the rustling grew louder and louder. Then it stopped.

Dead silence.

Some of the group looked over at each other uneasily. "W-what's going on?" Dorothy whispered amidst the silence.

The Gallians noticed a small canister rolling along the ground. A thick grey smoke emitted from the top, slowly enveloping the area. Peter, Claudia, Dorothy, and even Nils all looked at each other uneasily, before their vision was completely blocked. The smoke made some eyes teary, and others found it difficult not to cough when breathing the air in. Peter found himself trying hard to hold his breath, so as not to give away their positions to the Imps. The others were starting to break down though. And Oscar, who was out of the smoke's reach, was rather useless in his current position without clear vision. Peter noticed Dorothy gagging, and holding back a cough. The Bruhler put a gloved hand over her mouth. The girl tried to fight back, thinking she could handle it, but when the subtle sounds of branches and grass being crushed underfoot were heard _way_ too close for comfort, they both went dead still. The two's color on their faces went pale, as they could barely make out the silhouettes of Imperial armor in the smoke. Peter couldn't communicate to Claudia or Nils, so he prayed that they could let the enemies pass by or ambush them at the right moment. When Dorothy stirred no longer, Peter removed his hand over her face. He'd regret it. As soon as he took his hand off, Dorothy felt her eyes water and her nose feel a tingling sensation. And then...

"Achoo!"

Peter quickly plugged Dorothy's nose, to which she had no objection this time.

"You hear something?" asked an unrecognizable voice.

"Yeah... I think we just found our little Gallians..." said another.

"Alright... You three! Go over more to the north. Me and Yakov will check out this area. These mongrels can't hide forever..."

Some murmuring followed by "yes, sirs" ensued, before the forest returned to its silence. The smoke was fading ever so slightly, and the silhouettes became darker and more discernible. The rustles of the ground and branches beneath the Imperials' feet grew louder, and Peter and Dorothy found themselves backing away, consequently making as much noise as the enemy was. Dorothy started whimpering, as the Imps were walking straight toward them.

"I think we just found our target..." one of them mumbled.

By now, Peter and Dorothy had gotten outside the range of the smoke, and while they could see the Imperials if they were following them, they themselves had nothing but the darkness of night to camouflage them. Even though they held onto their weapons, the two couldn't exactly take the anxiety of the position they were in right now. The Imps still had the element of surprise, and they didn't know when the hell they were going to attack. There were several directions as to where the hell they were hiding. As they continued backing up, the Gallians took their arms and aimed at the cloud of smoke, determined to shoot down anything that came out. Peter prayed Nils, Claudia, and Oscar had better luck hiding than they did.

A head clad in a metal helmet popped out of the smoke. His eyes fell upon Peter and Dorothy, before the rest of him came out, with a machine gun pointed straight at them. Suddenly, a burst of red showered the soldier's armor, before he crumpled to the ground right at their feet.

"Sniper fire, get down!"

The Imperial shouted out, but out of some impulse, Dorothy too the gun and aimed at the dark shape within the cloud of smoke. Letting out a burst from her MAGs, the Imperial groaned and dropped dead. She quickly got up and ran head first into the fray. Seeing as how stealth was no longer a factor, Peter got up from the ground ran behind the shocktrooper as they started trying to gun down the enemy Imps. Dorothy wasn't exactly aiming, but rather firing bursts from her gun and hoping she would hit something. Essentially a waste of ammo, but they managed to get through this skirmish alive, then perhaps Claudia might be able to better supply everyone.

"Guys, get back! Back!"

Peter and Dorothy recognized that as Nils' voice. Hesitantly doing as he said, the two retreated. Suddenly a large Ragnite blast covered the area, almost knocking the two off their feet. Looking over their shoulder to see what had happened, the explosion had cleared the smoke, and left several visible bodies in its place. Not too far from there, was the smoking end of Nils' lance, with Claudia cheering and flashing a victory sign. From the Lancaar's wake, some of the bodies got up, and the Imps tried to run away. One looked relatively unscathed, while the other had tears in his armor, no doubt from the shrapnel. Peter aimed down the sights toward the first Imperial, and squeezed the trigger a few times. Following the slight recoil, Peter saw that the man stumbled and fell to the ground, but was still crawling. The Bruhler fired another shot for good measure. Peter then had his sights on the next Imp, but before he could even fire a shot, he witnessed a bullet hole develop on the back of his helmet, staining the armor in blood. At first bewildered at the sight, Peter nodded in gratitude.

"Thanks, Oscar."

"No problem," said the aforementioned sniper, who was regrouping with the rest of the team. They all huddled around next to some thick bushes, trying to plan out the next step in their attack.

Everyone took glances at each other, seeing how composed or what their reactions were. Peter payed special attention, as to see when and how they should press onward. Dorothy seemed a bit on edge. Her face was slightly red, and she was breathing a bit heavier than normal. Nils still had a stern look that seemed permanently molded on his face. It was hard to see what his true reactions were. Oscar and Claudia seemed rather composed and confident even, though the latter was a bit more put off seeing how distraught her friend was.

Oscar looked through the scope of his sniper once again and checked the area around the artillery piece.

"Alright... one more sniper and... rest of them look like engineers, so I think we just took out their main defense. We shouldn't get too much problems from them," Oscar said, with the remaining Imperial sniper in his crosshairs. The man was completely unaware, trying to scout out other areas completely unaware of Oscar. A single shot echoed throughout the forest and the Imperial stumbled a bit before falling like a stone.

"Alright guys, let's move up!" Peter exclaimed. After a couple nods, or otherwise resigned expressions, everyone behind him followed suit.

* * *

**Not too far away...**

"Any report on the two Gallian officers spotted in the forests?"

"No, sir. Our dogs have tried tracking the scent, but there's a lot of other things in these damn woods that mess with their sense of tracking."

The Imperial officer frowned. He'd supposedly found the commander of Squad 7, as well as another officer at his side. He looked at his motley crew of soldiers and scowled.

"Keep looking, or else I'll have no more use for these mutts and put them down myself..."

One of the dogs next to the trainer started fiercely growling, bearing teeth and all. The Imperial trainer started tugging on the reins a tad tighter at the sight. The officer narrowed his eyes, and slits of blue hues glared at the war dog.

"Silence, you pathetic hound!"

The dogs ears went down, and moved away with a tail between his legs, as he whimpered pathetically. Satisfied, the Imperial officer turned away, almost ready to give up the search in this area, when he noticed another dog intently sniffing around a certain area, a soldier following it. Even from his distance, and the mask of the helmet, the Imperial could see the astonishment at the soldier's eyes.

"Hey guys, I think Panzer found something!"

The Fhiraldan Shepard was sniffing its nose around an area, until it discovered an opening alongside the steep wall of a cliff. There, was a cave. Interested, the Imperial moved towards the entrance, carefully observing for a sign of Gallian treachery. A soldier was giving a treat to the dog who had made the discovery, though the caring for the hounds meant little to the commander.

"I want a scouting team to search the cave! Shoot at anything that moves in there!"

A small group of soldier saluted and marched into the depths of the cave, with a couple dogs following them. They all took up flashlights and shined the area with light. Nothing there. Skeptical, they continued searching in the cave before finding what looked like a pile of wood. There was still a hint of smoke and dying embers. One of the dogs was now sniffing what looked to be tracks on the ground. A trooper lit his flashlight on the ground, and noticed footprints. There were several tracks, meaning there was some number of them around.

Outside, the Imperial officer noticed something peculiar on the ground, definietly not of the forest. He knelt down to pick it up, and he looked at the cigarette carefully. The end was still lightly lit, and the cigarette wasn't used up entirely. This couldn't have been more than a couple hours ago. Sighing, he pulled out a lighter lit the smoke in his hands.

"Colonel!"

The aforementioned Imperial saw one of his troops, while the others as well a pack of dogs were picking up a path.

"Yes? What did you find?" he asked, going back to his smoke.

"We found evidence that someone was here. A campfire, and judging from the embers, it couldn't have been more than about two hours," stated the armor clad scout.

"Indeed... Anything else?"

"Oh, we found footprints. They were definitely of Gallians sir, though there was about four or five sets of tracks, so it's a possibility that the two Gallian militia soldiers you were looking for are there."

"Where were they heading to?"

"Judging from the tracks right now, I'd wanna say they were heading... west."

The colonel thought for a moment before turning back.

"What of Camp 4? They are not too far away from this location."

"Sure, I'll check on the radios..."

The scout took the radio from his belt and turned the frequency to the artillery emplacement.

"Camp 4, do you copy?"

"..."

"Camp 4, please respond. Status report!"

"..."

"Is anyone there, hello?!"

Some static, followed by some fumbling with the radio could be heard from the other line, before someone responded on the line.

"Yeah, yeah, this is Camp 4, over."

The scout raised a brow.

"What took you so long to respond?"

"Oh, nothing we were just trying repair the and tune up the... gun emplacement."

Some indiscernible popping sounds were coming from the other line.

"What was that in the background? Was that gunfire?"

"Oh no, that was... just a misfire. Someone fired at a forest critter roaming the woods. You know how jittery these kinds of places make guys, right?"

"Have you or your men spotted any Gallians in the vicinity?"

"No sir, no problems whatsoever. We're... we're fine. H-how are you?"

"Well, I'm sending a team of troopers over there. I'm seeing footprints and some Gallians might be heading your wa-"

"Negative! Negative, we've had an ammunition problem with the gun emplacement, and it's highly unstable. We've actually lost a guy already. But our engineers are already on it, working on it."

"... Who is this?" the scout asked, more skeptical of this person than ever.

"Me? Oh, I'm... Corporal... Yakov. Corporal Yakov, sir."

"Who?"

"Corp... Ah, fuck it."

Static ensued after that, leaving the Imperial scout confused and panicked.

"S-sir! I think the Gallians already reached Camp 4! I think they might've taken out the crew stationed there!" the scout yelled frantically at his commander, practically yelling in his face.

"What! They took out all of them?!" The Colonel looked at his troops, before pointing his arm. "I want you three to stay with me! The rest, take out all hostiles! I don't care if they are left dead or alive! Take the mutts with you!"

The group of soldiers marched forward, dogs sniffing out the trail to snuff out their Gallian prey. The officer nodded, and left the area with his three guards. As he stepped into the forest, his black uniform blended into the night. The scout lead the troops through the woods, everyone determined to finish off the Gallians who humiliated them back at Barious. He served with several of those men for years, and damn it, he wasn't about to let these pigs get away from this frenzied yelling and battle cries of soldiers, as well as the barking and howling of dogs echoed through the night skies.

* * *

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Peter cursed at the now broken radio, his rifle barrel still smoking. His attempted to sway the Imperials away from their position failed epically, as he cracked down under pressure, and judging from the tone of the Imp on the radio, he wasn't likely to buy the excuse anyway. Some of the others were looking panicked, others even accusingly at Peter, making him very nervous indeed.

"Shit, we are _screwed!_"

Peter had no idea how Isara was able to smooth-talk an Imperial on the radio back in Vasel, but that was the least of his concerns. What _was_ his concern was the indeterminable number of Imperials on their way to their location. Peter was desperately looking back and forth for some kind of guidance, or an answer to just suddenly reveal itself, but so far, he was only met with the stares of everyone else. After a sigh, and coming to resolutions, Peter came to a conclusion.

"Alright, guys. Take whatever supplies they've got here: ammunition, rations whatever. Then we burn this place and get the hell out of here. Any objections, complaints?" Peter said, straightening his back to try and look slightly taller and imposing. Dorothy opened her mouth to remark something, but stopped herself before speaking. With a nod, Peter began rummaging through the affects of the dead Imperial crew. Peter felt as though they were running out of the essential survival items, like ammo, medical supplies, and the like. Squad 7 already exhausted most of it from the previous battle from Barious. Pulling out some rations and MREs from the corpses, Peter and Claudia grabbed what they could from the bodies, and other supplies from boxes and crates. Oscar was lucky enough to find more medical supplies, while Dorothy and Nils scrounged any ammo they could find. While he was at it, the latter also armed himself with an Imperial machine gun, which was more practical than a lance in a tight situation. Time was ticking down, as they grabbed what they could use. Then, a succession of what sounded like... barking.

"Uh, guys do you hear that?" Claudia asked, putting a hand against her ear.

"Are there wolves in the forests out there?" Dorothy asked, now worried.

"I don't think they'd come out here, not with all the gunfire and commotion. No... it might be... it's something worse..." Nils contemplated. He thought for a moment before his brows rose in shock. "Shit! They've got dogs! The Imps have got attack dogs, we have to move it!"

At hearing the phrase "attack dogs," the group quickly went pale as they grabbed everything they had with them and began to hurry it out of there. Before they went, Peter did the liberty of sliding a grenade down the barrel of the artillery piece, as a safety precaution so they never use the thing against them again. The grenade went off with a boom before the artillery barrel broke in two. Everyone then ran as fast as they could, and not looking back. Some indistinct shouting could be heard from back at the camp, and the popping of gunfire came along. Bullets whizzed by, as the group kept running. Everything was frantic, as all of them ran forward, and not turning back. Suddenly, one of the troops turned in one direction, another split in a different direction, and Peter found himself following Claudia and Oscar, while Dorothy and Nils ran off in some other. Whether or not that was desperation or some kind of way to throw off the Imperials was unknown to Peter, though at the moment, he could care less. He ran. He, Claudia and Oscar ran frantically, the dogs barking ever nearing. Though they were still some ways away from them, the barking sounded as if they were right behind them, echoing through the forests and the Gallians' minds.

Then Peter heard some gunfire. Through some almost involuntary impulse, the Bruhler stopped and looked to the origin of the firefight. He could see Dorothy and Nils, firing their weapons fiercely at some unseen foe, even through the thickness of the Kloden Wilds. Starting slowly, Peter walked then ran toward them, but a huge force knocked the scout to the ground. Clawing and scratching were overwhelming, being forced down all over Peter, still not registering what was going on. All he could sense, was pain, and the sound of inhuman growls. Daring to open his eyes, he was met with the muzzle of a dog, baring its teeth and barking at his face. In a futile attempt to get the canine off, Peter tried smacking the hound with his rifle butt, though the animal responded by biting his arm, releasing his weapon. Footsteps were running by, closer and closer, and with no way to get the dog off, Peter knew he was done for, if not made a prisoner to the Empire. Then, there was a single gunshot. The clawing stopped. Everything felt silent. Daring to open an eye once more, Peter was surprised that he wasn't harmed in any way, save for getting mauled by the dog. The canine's black eyes were still set on his own, though nothing was backing them anymore.

Oscar kicked the dead hound off of Peter, while Claudia helped him up.

"Get yourself up, Peter. You're not dying, not yet," Claudia said, hoisting Peter off the ground. She was horrified to see some scratches through his uniform, blood seeping through each one. "Oh, god... Peter, you're bleeding. We've got to get that treated, fast!"

"We've got to get the hell out of here alive first, Claudia!" Oscar exclaimed, able to take another shot at an incoming Imperial, even through all the chaos.

"I... I can shake it off for now..." Peter weakly declared, though Claudia insisted on helping him walk. "Damn it, it's not like that dog crippled me! I'm fine!"

Slightly taken aback, Claudia nodded, and focused on trying to get away. Peter nursed his arm, which had a deep scratch on his chest that was bleeding quite a bit. Continuing to press forward, he applied a Ragnaid capsule to help ease it until Claudia could administer proper treatment when the Imps weren't chasing after them anymore. Tossing the spent Ragnite drug aside, Peter looked around to see if Dorothy or Nils were in the distance. After the hound knocked him down, he had lost his sense of direction, from the disorientation, as well as the infamous natural illusions of the forest that would make any traveler lost, whether it be civilian, or a militia scout. The two were nowhere to be found, and the cluster of the sounds of gunfire and barking that accompanied were more indistinct than ever. As if off in the distance. While Peter and Claudia went up farther into the woods, Oscar continued laying out support fire to anyone still focused on them.

"Alright, let's see what we can do..." Claudia said, finding a relatively safe spot amongst the battle. Peter sat down, she pulled out some medical supplies, some of them were courtesy of the Imperial camp they looted some ways back. Applying some Ragnaid on the wounds, she wiped and padded down any blood. Then, she took out a suture kit to sew back the wounds. Even though the headband wearing girl was to stay focused on treating Peter's wounds, she periodically looked over her shoulder to see how Oscar was doing. He was currently defending them, a lone sniper of all things. However, Claudia was confident that Oscar would be able to handle himself, and he was going to help them get everyone out of here alive. Sure, she'd been through some pretty unlucky turn of events these past few hours, starting with the artillery chaos, but she was at least feeling lucky that she had some good company, and that was a big morale booster for her to the least. Maybe she would be lucky enough to see the dawn of morning.

Oscar loaded a new round into the chamber of his sniper. He quickly aimed and found a new target, which he downed quickly. Another one down. It was awfully hard to fire at these Imps with so much pressure, and with each enemy that fell at the scope of his sniper, it became harder and harder to steady his focus. Sure, there were less Imps now focusing on them, some dead and others looking for Dorothy and Nils, but it was a true test of his abilities nonetheless. Oscar felt himself falling back, walking away to move with his comrades, but he still wasn't about to back out now. No, they need him. And somewhere, his brother needed him. He wasn't about to leave Emile behind in this world. Oscar would soon reunite with his comrades, but not until he used up every single one of his sniper rounds. So he fought. And he fought hard.

* * *

Dorothy Howard was now stuck with a sick man, and here she was, fighting for her very life. She had no idea what she was thinking when she separated and followed Nils. She panicked. Now she probably was going to pay for it. Several Imperial troopers were on their tail, and dogs dashing ever closer were if no comfort. But now she was on the run, firing her weapon at the incoming enemy. She never wanted this. She was forced into this war. And she hated it. She missed the days in the Fouzen jewelry foundries, and making and trying out the various styles. But in all honesty, these days in the Militia were the best in her life. She met new people. She actually made friends. She learned a lot about others and herself in the days of training and combat. She was still prone to a little stage fright every now and then, but she tried the hardest she could. Dorothy came out of her box, and she knew she was never going back in. She hoped that Claudia and all the others would make it out safely. Dorothy still had regrets. She still thought that she deserved more. But now, in these fleeting moments, she decided to give some payback to all the bastards that burned Fouzen to the ground. And so she fought. For her family. For her friends. And for Gallia. For once, Dorothy Howard gave herself a bit of confidence and the sheer will to back it up. As she fired her weapon, the enemy bullets penetrated her uniform, losing blood and vitality with each and every painful shot. And with every last bit of life she still had, she clang to it just to live that much longer. With every late and borrowed breath she took, she stole a last breath from one of the Imps. But even iron wills decay and rust. Soon enough, she couldn't take anymore.

So when she died, she did so with a little pride, a little sadness, and left with her a hope for all her friends and family, both by bond and blood.

Nils Daerden was pinned down, the odds against him. He was running out of ammunition, and looking at the corpse of the girl beside him, it didn't exactly encourage him much. This was what the Gallian Militia got, when they sent a girl to do a man's job, or so he always thought. She was whiny and annoying, but here, she fought and died with a hint of honor in a way Nils respected. They weren't just a girl and man now. They were soldiers. But what he thought didn't matter now. What did matter, was the Imperial force in front of him. He lived through the mafia wars following the depression of Gallia after the first war. He killed a man at age ten. He was then the Daerden family leader when his father died. He's been swept into the criminal underground since childhood, and now it seemed like he was he was going to die for an actually just cause.

He was running out of ammo. The dogs were barking, cornering him against a cliff. Nowhere to run.

Nils loaded his last clip into the Imperial gun and made every last shot count. He was about to make his final stand right here. A lone wolf never gives up its claim. A wolf fights to the death.

A few more Imperials were marching in, and though their numbers were getting smaller, he was still just one man, and now he was out of ammo for his machine gun. Nils looked towards the massive weapon leaning against the cliffside. His lance. There was just one Lancaar round left in it, and damn it, he was now going to give the Imps what for. He grabbed the lance, armed the warhead and aimed. Several soldiers were clustered together, and when they saw the receiving end of the lance, it was too late. In a flash, the group of Imps were taken out, and through the smoke of the explosion, Nils had thought he had won. Dropping the massive weapon, he started to walk away with a smug grin on his face. Maybe it wasn't his time yet.

From the smoke, a single round flew through and struck Nils in the chest.

Or perhaps it was.

A lone Imperial in bloodied vermilion armor came out, a couple soldiers following. Nils couldn't support himself any longer, and his body felt weak. He fell backwards onto the ground, where the Imp officer met him. He placed a boot on Nils' chest, and loaded a single round into a revolver. The officer pointed the gun at the crime-lord's head, but not before offering some kind of pay of respect by placing a fist over his heart. It was as if he was saluting his enemy one last time. Nils nodded in acceptance. Did he fail at his duty by not coming home? Not seeing the end of this war? Not even this battle? He never denied that he did. But through this war, he became a hell of a lot more than what he was back in the streets of Randgriz. And that in itself was his greatest victory.

The Imperial fired his weapon.

* * *

"There, you're good as new!"

Claudia seemed happy enough that she was able to treat Peter successfully. She had always considered becoming a medic instead of an engineer, though with her infamous luck, she was always worried that she'd end up accidentally killing the person. But Claudia was glad her first operation was a relative success.

Getting up and dusting off, Peter grabbed his weapon once more, though the forests seemed relatively quiet again. A few indistinct sounds were heard in the distance, but he could no longer determine if they were that of a skirmish or just more forest creatures in the area. Oscar came back, somewhat bloodied, though looking fine overall. He was holding his pistol with his rifle strapped around his back. Claudia didn't even need a word, as she got down to doing the same procedure she did with Peter, as well as supplying some more ammo for Oscar. Oscar, though silent at the moment, smiled slightly at the appreciation for Claudia's treatment. Taking a deep sigh, Peter sat down on a nearby fallen tree. He had been through so much this day. He'd seen his best friend die, saw his old squad almost destroyed, got bombarded with artillery, and chased through the forests. And now, it was only dawn. Through the night skies, Peter saw that the darkness began to fade, and the stars receding. Hints that the sun would come up soon shone through gray clouds. Dusk was coming, and Peter thought he'd be lucky just to see the sun again. However, Peter couldn't help but wonder where Nils and Dorothy were. Separating in the chaos was probably the stupidest this they could have done, but frankly, Peter was somewhat thankful that they took the attention of some of the Imperials on their tails. Still, Peter prayed for their safety, and if they were dead... then they're probably in a better place. Taking another deep sigh, Peter rested his weary body against the fallen tree, if only for a few moments.

* * *

_"Bzzt... Come in all 7's! Repeat! Come in all 7's!" _

Peter stirred slightly at the disturbance, before some light started to shine on his eyes. He slightly cracked open an eye and noticed blinding light everywhere. Grumbling, he tossed and turned away from the light.

_"Come in all 7's! This is Lieutenant Welkin Gunther!" _

At the louder sounds Peter almost yelped as he woke up. His eyes opened wide in surprise as he frantically reached for his gun and looked around for the origin of the voice. Astonishingly, Peter discovered that the Kloden Wildwood was now brightened by the sun's light. Rubbing his eyes, it took a few moments to realize that it was morning. Save for the birds chirping and the slight rustling of the trees, it was quiet and peaceful.

"... What the hell...?"

Peter tried thinking what had just transpired recently, until memory rushed in. He had probably slept through the night, though the Bruhler was surprised at how he was still in one piece. He looked around some more until he noticed Oscar and Claudia, both of them snoozing in the cover of the bushes. A breath escaped from Peter's mouth at how relieved he was seeing his friends alright.

_"Come in all 7's! Good morning!" _

Shocked at hearing the voice again, Peter soon realized that the voice was coming from his own radio. He recognized the voice as his own lieutenant's and the sound of his voice was that much relieving to hear. The noise and static coming from the radio stirred and woke up Claudia and Oscar as well.

"Uh... what happened last night...?" Claudia asked, yawning and stretching. "This don't look like Port Water... eh?"

Claudia was still drowsy, and probably didn't know where she was. A quick check of her surroundings though, and it soon came back to her. Oscar got up, still tired, though a bit more in focus with the environment than Peter or Claudia.

"Good morning, guys!" Peter said, rather happy that they at least got some rest and were out okay. After more yawning, the other two came to their senses. More static came up on the radio grabbing the attention of everyone.

_"This is Welkin Gunther! To all troops who got separated in the attack last night, I hope you're alright. We need to regroup and soon head off back to Randgriz. Myself, Alicia, and several others are currently at an occupied enemy camp. I'm sending a flare on my position. But I can't wait forever... report back ASAP! I hope to see the rest of you here!" _

Peter smiled as he got together his things. Not too long after the radio transmission, a flare went up at the promising morning sky, leaving trail and smoke, and spread spectacularly in the air. Oscar got up with his things too, and they were soon ready to leave. However, Claudia still remained where she was, almost worried or saddened even.

"Um, Claudia? What's wrong, aren't you happy that we're going back to Randgriz?"

Claudia remained silent before she spoke up. "... What about Dorothy? She's still somewhere out in the forests. We never found her..."

Oscar looked at Peter, somewhat unsure of how he should respond. Judging from the forlorn look on the boy's face, he and Peter were probably thinking of the same fate the befell Dorothy Howard.

"Erm, well she's probably going towards the flare like us. She probably got the message to, I mean, if she's still ali-"

Peter abruptly gestured for Oscar to silence himself, which the sniper understood quickly. However, Claudia was pretty sure of what he was going to say, and the look on her face became even more depressed. She hopelessly sat on the ground, her arms around her legs starting to sniffle. Peter knelt down to the engineer's level and put an arm around her, to comfort her.

"Look, I know it's sad. I'm sure she was you're best friend. But we'll need to get moving. I won't lie; she's probably dead."

"B-but it just doesn't seem right... leaving her... we don't even know if she's dea... dead..."

It saddened Peter to see Claudia broken up like this. As if her "bad luck" thing wore down her self confidence, this was probably the breaking point.

"Look, half the Imp troops went after her and... I think we were even lucky just to-"

"Don't even say that word..."

Peter realized he had just pushed Claudia further by mentioning the simple "L-word." Sighing again, Peter continued talking to her.

"I get it, Claudia. I know how you feel... I... I lost a friend too. Yesterday, actually..." At this point, Claudia's sniffling desisted a little, as if she were listening, spurring Peter to continue. "I lost him to a land mine. Sacrificed himself even. His name was Dan... known each other for over ten years. He died, but he died a hero. And... I'm sure Dorothy did the same. She died to help us get out here. And it's best to dwell on the now, than the past. I know you just lost her, but this is war. If we don't do something, we'll lose a lot more than just our friends. And it's not about remembering how people died... just remember and respect the way your friend lived."

Claudia sniffled again, a tear rolling down her eye. She got up from the ground, now ready to move on. She didn't have to like it, but there was truth to what Peter said. It was doubtful that Dorothy was still alive, and it was a miracle in itself that she and the others were alive, but she had to move on. Otherwise, she sit and do nothing, Dorothy's death would be in vain.

"Okay... thanks Peter... I'm sure... Dan was a good man. And Dorothy was a good friend... I'll... um... never mind..."

As she wiped her last tears, Claudia readied herself along with Peter and Oscar. Following the trail set before them, they soon regrouped with the rest of Squad 7. The recent journeys have been bittersweet for Peter and Squad 7. Leaving behind the scorching deserts and thick forests, the painful memories and everlasting wounds were left with them. But with such left, there lied a hope. A hope for friends. A hope for family. A hope for the country. And a hope for tomorrow.

From there, they all headed back en route to Randgriz.

* * *

**Yes! I did it! It's finally over! You have no idea how long this took me. Anyway, I hope this met up to standards. I realize some things could have been done better, but as always, I leave that up to you. I'll try to update the next chapter faster, because I'm positive that the next won't be as long as this one. Thank you, and good night.**

**_~Mr. Wang_  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. This update isn't exactly speedy, and I apologize for the delay. This one is rather short, and doesn't contain any cool battle scenes and whatnot, but it does show some character development and background, so I hope you'll still enjoy it. It's been a while since I've actually put in a scene in between the combat, but I hope it'll be sufficient enough for you guys.** **As one of my earlier reviews put it, "Not the most exciting thing, compared to action, but the most rewarding in the end. Anyone can write "bang bang the Imperial died" but it takes lots of work to craft a believable, deeper character." Ah, ArtilleryImbecile, where the hell are you, and all the other good VC writers who haven't updated in forever...**

* * *

All was quiet on the cloudy day at Fort Amatrain. It was rather silent for a large squad, and tense even, but Peter was glad to finally have a safe and stable roof over his head. It was about a couple weeks since Squad 7 came back from Kloden, though some people were still feeling the exhaustion and grief from the battle. Several people were in the infirmary, due to their many injuries. Though Peter never really noticed until they came back to Randgriz, the battles recently were a hard hit to the squad's morale and manpower. Peter occasionally paid a visit to any of his friends at the infirm, checking up on their progress. For once, things seemed to slow down, people could take a breather, and things might go back to normal, if only temporarily.

However, no matter how Peter put it through his mind, those last days of battle hounded his thoughts. The deaths in Squad 3 were still a hard hit, and he had even tried sending letters to Elizabeth and the others to see how they were doing. No one ever responded. To add to that, Nils Daerden and Dorothy Howard were missing in action, and no doubt dead somewhere in the forest. While it was beyond his control, Peter couldn't help but blame himself for their deaths; after all, they somewhat looked up to him as a commanding officer of sorts while in Kloden. Claudia and Oscar seemed very grateful to be alive after all that, and they, along with Peter, became somewhat more closely knit. It was a rather nice change of pace, and Peter was glad he was getting some more friends. It bugged him that throughout the war, he has to spend time looking up the people of Squad 7, just to know who the hell they are, and if he can trust them in a battlefield. Everyone always had their little social cliques: the Darcsens, the Darcsen haters, the outcasts, the gossipers, the Bruhlers (which Peter was respectively a member of), the jokers, loners; most everyone was divided, and whereas in Squad 3, Peter remembered everyone pretty much knew everyone, if at least by face. The individualism was a refreshing change, yet it was also very distressing.

A new day began. The simple, everyday routine of squad role call, and eventually breakfast at the mess hall continued on, as always. With the exception of the merciful conversation of a friend, the days seemed just as drab and uniform as the Gallian military's standard dress code (luckily rather liberal in the Militia, in contrast to the Navy and Regular Army).

The food seemed slightly better, and Peter was able to notice that Alicia baked todays buns for breakfast, so the air and mood of the mess hall was slightly more at ease. Peter always liked to think that something made Alicia's baking... magical, for lack of a better word. Continuing his meal, Peter looked to his side and saw off in the distance Claudia sitting at a table with two other girls, Aisha, and a girl with glasses and a beret; Nancy, if Peter could recall. The engineer noticed Peter and waved her hand smiling. The scout couldn't help but wave back too, before he went back to eating. It was nice to be noticed and acknowledged a bit everyday, and even Peter's Darcsen friends tend to forget his presence once in a while, but they were only human. Taking another bite off of a fresh bread roll, Peter felt a hand place on his shoulder.

"Peter."

Flinching slightly, Peter looked over his shoulder to see Noce Wordsworth behind him. A bit relieved it was only him, Peter went back turned his attention back to his breakfast as he responded.

"Noce, what do you need?" Peter asked, as he continued eating.

"I saw you waving to Claudia. I've just been noticing that you two-"

"Can it, Noce. You just hear to talk my ear off, or do you actually have some sort of meaningful purpose here?" Peter coldly interrupted.

"Hey, hey! Easy, Pete. No need to get touchy... Geez, and you thought I was being a bit harsh way back... Anyway, I was just trying to lighten the mood..." Noce defended, backing up a bit. "Apparently, I should have picked Ustinov and Young to take care of that, but... You've been ordered to report to Captain Varrot's office. I was just sent to tell you that."

Peter completely froze. His mind went through all the possible things he could have done wrong. Did he accidentally shoot someone? No, he was sure he didn't... Then, a piece snapped into place, as Peter recalled his most recent activities in the field. His involvement of the battle of Barious, and the incident at Kloden. He deserted at Barious just so he could be with his friends at Squad 3, and because of his so-called "leadership" Peter invoked at the forest firefight in Kloden, Dorothy and Nils were missing, if not dead. Paranoia and doubt swirled around, wondering all the things that could go wrong.

"Hey, c'mon. It can't be _that_ bad, right?" Noce asked.

Peter couldn't come up with a response. He merely sighed and continued eating his breakfast.

* * *

Walking through the halls of one of the central buildings of Fort Amatrain, Peter was heading towards Captain Varrot's office, fear and dread as to what his fate might be. Back in his days at Squad 3, Peter became a bit too familiar with these halls. He had almost forgotten what it was like. He knew he had to pay for something. He knew it.

Peter faced the wooden door that lead to the Captain's office. His hand reached for the golden handle, but as he turned it to open the door, his hand trembled slightly. With a frustrated sigh, the Bruhler took another deep breathe before fully opening the door. Staring right at him was none other than Captain Eleanor Varrot herself. Alongside her was Lieutenant Gunther. A familiar wooden chair stood in front of the rather imposing desk Varrot would do her work at. Curious as to why Welkin was here, Peter thought that he was at least an easy-going guy, and might lessen whatever punishment he gets. Nobody said anything as Peter walked across the room, and took his seat. After trying to get as comfortable as he could possibly get, Peter noticed Welkin and Captain Varrot nod at each other.

"Private Rothchild. I suppose you know why you're here?" Varrot asked, sending a shiver down Peter's spine. Her tone hasn't changed a bit, even after all the weeks that have passed.

"I assume that it has to do my performance and actions at Barious and Kloden?" Peter asked, almost thinking he knew the answer.

"Precisely."

Peter face palmed, not exactly sure if he could look the Captain in the eye.

"Several people reported you missing from Squad 7, and an account from several surviving members of Squad 3 report you were with them instead. Is this true?" she pressed on. Some silence ensued, before Peter could stutter an answer.

"Yeah... Back at Barious, I went with Squad 3," he mumbled.

"Desertion is a serious violation, Peter, however there are unique... circumstances regarding your actions," Varrot commented, skimming over some paperwork.

"What do you mean, 'circumstances?'"

"I have some proclamations that you helped save some of the members of the squad during their battle with the large Imperial force. Accounts from several troops claim you assisted them greatly, and saved some of their lives. If so, that is commendable."

Peter couldn't believe what he just heard. Was he _not_ getting in trouble...?

"Um... who exactly accounted for these reports?" Peter asked.

Varrot skimmed across a report and found a list of names. "Sergeant Abel, Corporal Elizabeth Black, Corporal "Rusty", and Private Erlina Alexander were among who others contributed to your case."

Peter smiled slightly at hearing Elizabeth's name. It was good to know she survived this whole ordeal when others didn't, and he knew that she had to have stuck her neck out for him somehow. Peter held it back, but he wanted to smile or even cry knowing that the rest of his old friends at Squad 3 stood up for him, even when he had no real obligation to them anymore, and them to him.

"I see..." Peter merely said, masking whatever emotion or feeling he was getting out of this situation. "But... I deserted Squad 7... I can't help but feel bad for that, and... is that going to be taken into account...?"

"Peter," Welkin piped in. The scout almost forgot he was there. "I realize you ditched the Squad, through it, you did much more than you could staying with us. You helped save lives out there, Peter, and I respect that. I have no qualms about you leaving. I take full responsibility for any negative conflict or impact your actions may have done," Welkin stated. Peter couldn't believe what he just said. Old Lieutenant Drake couldn't give a shit about his problems.

"Ahem. Continuing on, we would also like to discuss your actions at Kloden," Varrot continued working over some paperwork.

Peter braced himself for whatever the captain could throw at him, though he was slightly a bit more at ease.

"Privates Bierlert and Mann both claim that following the artillery bombardment of Kloden, the three of you, in addition to Private Howard and Corporal Daerden, rallied together to find a way to regroup with the rest of the sqaud that had dispersed. They claim that you helped lead them through the forests and you helped keep morale up to find their ways back with the rest of Squad 7-"

"Wait, what?" Peter interrupted. "Pardon me, Captain, but they said that I _lead _them?"

"Why... yes. Is that hard to comprehend, Private?" Varrot asked, rather quizically.

"N-no, just... unexpected..."

"Thanks to you, they say, you, Claudia, and Oscar all got home safely," Welkin commented."I'm impressed with your leadership, Peter."

"Yeah... but if I really was a leader, Nils Daerden and Dorothy Howard would've gotten out alive. They trusted me enough to look up to me... and now they're probably rotting somewhere out in the forest..." he mumbled.

This time, Captain Varrot and Welkin gave somewhat concerned glances toward Peter.

"This is war, Private Rothchild. Death is... inevitable. I remember when I was first tasked with a promotion and I lead a detachment of troops..." Captain Varrot said, trailing off. She rambled as if no one else were present.

"It was a night operation... I had ten troops following me... four, including myself, came back alive. The deaths could have been much, much worse, but... it impacted me. But please, Private; don't focus on the deaths of your comrades... focus on how they lived, and contributed to your cause. Operations don't always run smoothly, Rothchild. But leading troops to be all they can be is what being a commander is," the Captain continued, her words rather silent and faint, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Which is why, Peter," Welkin said, going up to him. "I'm going to promote you to Corporal."

The blue-capped scout nearly jumped in his seat, almost speechless. The Lieutenant presented him with a new patch, signifying his promoted rank.

"I... I can't... It's too much responsibilty, and I'm probably going to paint a target on my head anyway..." Peter stuttered, starting to sweat a bit.

"Please, Peter. I insist."

"Okay... I ditch Squad 7 to be with my friends back at Barious, I lead people at Kloden, and two of them end up dying and I get promoted for it?" Peter exclaimed, almost trying to defend himself.

"As much as I agree with some of your... logic, I believe that Lieutenant Gunther has better plans for your future, and I think your squad might be able to benefit from it," Captain Varrot said, now being slightly more at ease.

"Alright, Lieutenant. I'll do it," Peter said, now somewhat enthused by the idea. He took the patch from Welkins and looked at the embroidered words, "Corporal Rothchild."

"I'm sure that you'll be able to follow in your father's footsteps, Peter," Welkin congratulated with a smile. However, whatever happiness Peter might have exhibited faded away, at the mention of his father.

"Please, Lieutenant... don't bring my father into this," he sighed, somewhat sadly and forlornly.

"Well, _Corporal _Rothchild, you are dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your day," Varrot gleamed, with a smile of all things, and the Lieutenant and newly-promoted Corporal took their leave.

However, before he left, Peter wanted to ask something more. "Captain Varrot, one last question. If I may... what became of Squad 3?"

The smile disappeared, as Varrot looked down at her desk, presumably to look at a report, though she seemed to have a problem finding a way for words.

"Squad 3 has been... disbanded. They took too many casualties in Barious, and there aren't enough reserves to replace those lost. As of now, most of those still able to fight have been reassigned to Squad 1, and any others that need more replacements."

"What became of Corporal Elizabeth Black?" Peter asked, wanting to know the fate of his sole-surviving friend.

The captain looked at more papers, searching for a file, until she was able to find what she needed. "Oh my... It appears Private Black is exhibiting symptoms of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. The battle seems to have impacted her greatly. Has she lost anyone important to her?" Varrot asked.

"Yes, Captain. She and a friend of mine, Daniel Kappelhoff, were in love with each other, or so I assume," Peter said, old wounds opening up a bit.

"I see... She's suffering from insomnia, and when she is actually able to sleep, she claims to have recurring nightmares. She is currently in rehabilitation. If her condition does not improve, she may be dishonorably discharged. If you wish, I will make leave for you to visit her some time."

"Thank you, Captain. I'll go visit her sometime. I hope... she can recover..."

"As do we all, Corporal. Now, if there is nothing else, you are dismissed."

Welkin and Peter nodded and left.

* * *

Peter was completely shocked that Elizabeth, probably the strongest girl he knew, was having a mental breakdown. It was... sad. But Peter tried not to focus on it. He'll have to visit her some time later this week. Focusing on the joyous occasion of being promoted, Peter tried thinking all of the good things that could come out of this promotion. While he was reluctant at first, the Captain's vote of confidence seemed to enough to raise his spirits high. The scout was almost proud of himself. As the scout opened the door for his superior and closed it, he noticed Welkin looking at him, a bit concerned. Peter shrugged it off and continued walking off toward Squad 7's block at the fort, though Welkin quickly caught up to him.

"Peter, I just want to congratulate you, once again," Welkin said, offering a hand.

Peter, not knowing how to reply, merely nodded and shook his hand. Without a word, Peter turned his back on his superior, though Welkin was insistent.

"Peter, why were you so quick to dismiss your father?" Welkin curiously asked.

"Because, I'm not him. I'm my own person, and he... he's in the past now. Let's leave it at that."

"You know, you're showing signs you're becoming him. I've done some studying. Wasn't your father Martin Rothchild?"

"Yeah..." Peter sighed. "Martin Rothchild, former mayor of Bruhl before the first war, and then Lieutenant of Militia Squad 5 in EW1. You don't have to remind me."

"You sound ashamed of that," Welkin stated, quite confused. "Why is that?"

"He... he was a leader, and a brave guy... but stupid. He lead a 'glorious campaign' against the Imps and drove them out at Naggiar. He died at the final battle too. He left my mom, and me when I still in the womb."

"Are you saying that you don't like him... because he abandoned you?"

"In part..." Peter trailed off.

"My dad was mayor of Bruhl, before he became a lieutenant. Only the war veterans and old guys back at Bruhl know my heritage. And even they have turned a blind eye eventually. And quite frankly, I was glad."

"Glad?" Welkin asked.

"Yeah... I wouldn't want some random person to go 'hey, weren't you related to the mayor and war hero of Bruhl?' I mean, since you're a general's son, you probably understand. I want people to know me as Peter, not 'the son of Martin Rothchild,'" Peter explained.

"I think I understand. War was never really my choice, and people always made a big fuss about it..." Welkin muttered, remembering old times in Bruhl.

"Anyway, moving on, Dad joined the militia when attacks on Naggiar began. He wanted drive them out before they could reach the countryside. At the militia, he met my mom for the first time, a city girl from Randgriz. As Dad went through the ranks, he lead his own squad when the old lieutenant got killed. During that time, he and mom were... close... After a while, he became renowned throughout the militia as a great commander."

"I see..."

"Then, the militia was about to drive the Imps out of Naggiar. On the eve of the battle... I assume they 'conceived me.' On the fateful day, Dad sent my mother to the back lines, despite her skills as a soldier. He probably wanted her to be safe. At the very end, my father died during the assault, and my mom lived..." Peter paused before speaking, as if pondering on how to choose his words. "She was heartbroken, and a bit... angry at him. All she had left of him was his dog tags, a couple of his trinkets that I took from Bruhl, and the hat very hat resting on my head. After that, she went to Bruhl to experience the peacefulness there he always talked about. Then, I was born."

"Wow... that's an amazing story, Peter... but that still doesn't explain why you dislike him," Welkin said, quite interested at the background behind him.

"I always kind of wish I had a father to during my childhood, and well, I sorta hated him for dying in the last war. I've grown up in an ordinary life, not wanting to become my father. He might have been skilled, but he was reckless and had lots of responsibility that rested on his shoulders that he took for granted. Or so I'm told," Peter elaborated, his tone getting softer as he continued. "My mom... she hated him for leaving her. He was so confident everything would work out for him in the end, and she wasn't even there to protect him. Since then, Mom's also feared I'd become my father. Maybe it all started when I found the hat. I dunno. She and I were afraid that if I became him, I'd be lost to the wars... I'd leave Bruhl and die a meaningless death. She became something of a devoutly religious woman too, seeking 'redemption' for her actions in the war, and she expected me to do the same. I never really was that religious, and she always told me that if I went to war, I might just lose myself. I've kinda been dreading that."

"So... You're afraid of becoming your father, yet you still wear his hat, you keep some of his things, and are fighting in the Militia? Then why are you here?"

"Because I have to. I'm not going to sit by and let these bastards invade the country. I have family... friends... my town... I fight for them. I might lose myself, as my mother says, but damn it, I'm not going lose anything else!" Peter exclaimed. "Maybe Mom just raised me to hate my father. I kinda hold him in disdain, but I still respected him, and I always will. I guess I'm becoming more like him... It's just natural, or so I think."

Welkin nodded, encouraged that Peter is a strong person, and very respectable for his choices.

"Hell, at least there's _one_ good thing about being a Rothchild since I joined the war... It'll make for a fancy name on a tombstone... Like some important Randgriz noble or something..."

"Don't say those things, Peter. I'm glad to have you along. We'll get out of this, and we're going to save everything. We won't lose those things, I assure you," Welkin proclaimed. The officer saluted, and the scout saluted back.

"Good day, Lieutenant."

"Good day to you too, Corporal."

Peter left the company of his lieutenant to join his friends back at Squad 7's block of the fort. However, Peter noticed just how much he was like his father. He _was_ in the militia, he _was_ keeping several keepsakes on his person, he _was_ becoming more of a leader, and he _was _still wearing the hat that he wore all the time during the war. Hesitantly, Peter removed the blue felt hunting cap from his head. It didn't hurt to be a _little_ less like his father, if only for the day.

* * *

**Was that any good? Was the background a tad too generic? Or was it good? Please, give me any feedback that you will, please. Any input will be greatly appreciated. And if you see some errors and about, don't be afraid to point them out, so I can edit this to be the best it can be. **

**~Mr. Wang  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**I just want to thank you once again, to all of you who have continued following this story. This took a long time, and with good reason! First off, I was watching a lot of Bleach lately (an epic series, if you have not watched it). But this is the Valkyria Chronicles archive. I'm not ditching the Gallian Militia for the Soul Reapers. That said, it took a while for even me to realize that, and to actually finish the endings of this chapter. Second reason for delays, this chapter ended up being longer than the Barious and the Kloden escape chapter, so if you're short on time, be aware and try and read when you have enough free time. This chapter is 20,000 plus words! And it's strange how long I make something that most writers merely overlook. I fear I may have drawn this out too long, and I have a feeling these chapters are only going to get longer, minus the occasional out-of-battle scene in the barracks. I put quite a bit of effort in this, so I hope you can enjoy. Also, special thanks to Snowman23, who helped me come up with a few ideas. I made a couple subtle references to the works of Snowman in this chapter, sort of as a shout-out. Also, if you think I should divide this into two chapters, let me know. This chapter ended up being so much longer than I could have ever anticipated, so I hope you can at least enjoy some of the work I've put out for you. I apologize also if some of the sections seem at bit fast-paced or choppy (then again, I never seem to satisfy my standards/paranoia of not being accepted to be worthy of the VC author's ranks...). So, without further ado...  


* * *

**

It has been a few days since the promotion, and Peter was still relatively new to being made into his new position as a Corporal. He'd expected Varrot to be a bit furious at him, and yet she was rather kind compared to her normal attitude and demeanor. The scout wondered how much of his promotion was due in part to his old friends at Squad 3, or the Lieutenant's influence. What bugged him the most though, was how Welkin seemed like he thought Peter could accomplish anything, but he was just one guy. Welkin always thought much more of his lowly squad members than most other officers would. Sometimes, dedication and loyalty probably helped a bit in terms of actual combat. As Peter pondered his future regarding the Squad, some of his friends said congrats on his new position, and others were somewhat astonished.

"Damn... I still can't believe you made Corporal... I mean, it's weird to think you're my superior officer now..."

Peter could only shrug in response to Noce's remark. Although significant in its own right, Peter didn't exactly feel special or refined. Though it meant he would now be able to a couple troops in a small team, he didn't feel as... changed as he thought a promotion would endow. To him, all it did was add an additional elaborate patch on his uniform. Peter looked to his side, as if for some kind of answer, but the crowds in the mess hall served no help. Looking down at the plate of military provisions serving as his breakfast, he took a bite before hesitantly explaining.

"Yeah... it's not as... endearing as I thought it would be, but you know..." Peter stammered, not exactly sure how to put it. "But Welkin thinks a lot of me, so I suppose I can't let him down."

Noce was writing out something on a piece of paper, presumably another ballad for Alicia. However, the mention of Welkin's name caused Noce to lose focus. He attempted to continue writing, though in frustration he crumpled up the paper and pulled out a new sheet.

"Well, he hasn't exactly been the best commander, but at least he knows you're a good enough guy. I'll at least give him that," Noce said, continuing to scribble something on a piece of paper. His fellow watchman paused and raised a brow.

"What do you mean, 'he hasn't exactly been the best commander?'" Peter asked. "I mean, he's been a good enough guy, he's won every battle so far, and he's led this single squad better than Damon ever did with the Regular's army."

"Well no shit, Peter. A drunk Darcsen in an Imperial uniform could lead the army better than Fatass-Damon! But that's not the point. Welkin's been too... too naive, he's been hiding behind this veil of the greatest guy ever only because of his father, and-"

"Damn it, Noce, calm down!" Peter exclaimed, standing up from his seat. Despite how much louder Peter was than the rest of the clamor in the mess hall of Fort Amatrain, not too many people paid too much attention to their squabble and continued on their own affairs. "First of all, what the hell do you have against Darcsens? Second, why the hell do you hate Welkin so much? I mean, is it just because he happens to spend a lot of time with Alicia? That's her decision to make. Besides, she's the squad's Master Sergeant. Why the hell _shouldn't _she be spending a lot of time with Welkin? This is all probably just in your head, Noce," Peter explained, his voice still raised.

"Peter, I know you're my friend, but..." Noce quietly said. He stood up from his own seat, standing in a rather imposing stance. Even though he was a bit shorter than his fellow watchman, Peter stood his ground. "Peter... when you talk about anything, making fun of me, or whatever... I'll let it slide. But if you talk about me and Alicia... you'll be crossing a fucking line... I know that this isn't just my imagination. The way she looks at him, the way she stands at attention to him... the way I wish she'd see me... I know that there's something. And god damn it, it's not fair! After all I've done for her, she can at least... To think she falls for some stupid ass like Welkin!"

"Then why the hell are you too much of a coward to tell her how you feel?" Peter retorted. Noce glared at Peter in the eye. His features tensed a bit, as if to yell something back in response. However, his face softened, and he slowly slid back to his seat.

"Because... if she can't accept me, if I get rejected... Go ahead and shoot me for all I care. To not be accepted by Alicia would be the worst of pains..." Noce quietly said. "As for the racial slur... it just slipped from my tongue. I'm sure you understand." He looked down at the poem he was writing earlier, and he hastily crumpled it up and tossed it. Peter, in response, had nothing to say about that. He rested back down in his own seat and continued eating his breakfast.

Amidst the heated discussion, Susie Evans sat timidly between the two, too afraid of breaking up the argument for fear she might instigate things further. Even through all the chattering of the squads in the mess hall, the very air around Peter and Noce exhibited a quiet, and even lamented aura. As the uncomfortable silence prolonged, the blonde decided to at least step up to break the silent atmosphere, and change the subject.

"So, I heard that the ambassador to the Atlantic Federation is coming over at Randgriz tonight," Susie said, hoping to at least get some sort of small talk going. Though both of them were silent for a moment, Peter turned his full attention to Susie, with Noce hesitantly following soon after.

"What brings the Feds over to Gallia? They come to bug us for more Ragnite again? At least it's more polite than invading our country, unlike some... others..." Peter rambled.

"No, actually there are rumors that the ambassador is proposing an alliance with Gallia, and the Prime Minister and Princess are holding a hearing. They're also honoring troops in the war with a feast. I heard that Welkin and Alicia are-"

Susie stopped herself mid-sentence at mentioning the names of the two people that spur Noce to rant on again. Thankfully, his annoyed expression wasn't focused on that.

"Why the hell would Gallia ally itself with the Federation? We can solve our own problems without their damn interference," Noce explained.

"I guess they _are_ essentially taking our Ragnite. They're just veiling their true intentions with an alliance," Peter sighed. Susie glanced at the two watchmen, visibly disturbed, before adding her opinion.

"But wouldn't an alliance be good? We could be at peaceful terms with the Federation, and they'd help us fight the Empire. Plus, if we let them use our resources, they can probably end the whole war altogether. It could solve a lot of our problems, and Gallia might be made stronger because of it," Susie chirped, already expressing her fancy with the idea.

"Yeah, but Susie... They're just exploiting us for our resources. Feds might just be taking our Ragnite to fuel their own purposes. Plus they'll exploit Gallia's strategic position on the map. You say you hate war, Susie? Us joining them just might add fuel to their fire," Peter sincerely said. Susie looked over to Noce, as if to ask him his own a opinion. The poet scoffed in response to his colleague's comment, though still nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, Peter's right. An alliance means fighting someone else's war, for someone else's country, for someone else's reasons. It's a load of political bullshit, no doubt because of the work our oh so delightful regent..."

"Theoretically, what'll happen when the Federation/Gallian alliance defeats the Empire? We're just going to be subjects to the Fed's council and chancellors? I don't think so. They'll use us just to probably invade more countries. An alliance is supposed to bring about peace, not another war. War's stupid if you're fighting for the wrong reasons," Peter explained. "I mean, if we end up wasting our lives for what some council wants, then Gallians will probably have died for a meaningless cause. You don't want that, don't you Susie?"

"..."

Susie stayed silent, not exactly sure how to respond to that. Peace and alliances were very good, and there was no proof that those things Noce and Peter described would happen. Susie's wealthy family had several friends and contacts in the Federation, including several powerful politicians. They didn't seem so bad. That said, Susie knew that there was always a dark underbelly to anything's source of power and influence, even behind her own family's wealth. She had heard several questionable and disturbing things behind her own father's rise to wealth and power. Politics and war was simply a living entity, very unpredictable and dangerous. While it was good to see that Peter and Noce could talk and agree on something after their recent squabble, though in the end, it ironically left Susie in her own silence as the two continued talking about the Federation and Gallian politics, as if nothing happened earlier. Ever since the war, the two's friendship has always been something of a rocky one. While the two criticized one policy and another, Susie was left to her own accord once again, reflecting on just how dangerous a peaceful world might really be beneath its seemingly pure shell. Peace is still a desirable choice, though Susie pondered that she might have think about the road getting there.

* * *

Nothing much else happened throughout the day. He heard rumors of some kind of party going around the squads, due in part that the lieutenants and higher officers were allowed entry into Randgriz castle without the rest of them. In the silence, Peter could even faintly hear some orchestrated music coming from the floor below him. However, the scout didn't exactly seem in the mood. As the sunset fell, and the night took over with its starry skies, Peter contemplated. Looking through an open window on one of the balconies of Squad 7's quarters, Peter looked on towards the lit city standing before him. The lights were all on in the houses, and the castle literally gleamed like one from a fairy tale. Peter looked on at the city, wondering if people who moved to Bruhl were actually telling a fact that cities were crowded and noisy compared to the countryside. Randgriz didn't seem bad. In contrast to Bruhl, it seemed like a horrible place to live, yet in the few times of military leave, Peter was actually able to explore a bit. Districts in Randgriz still had residents dotting it (most of which were older citizens who weren't currently drafted). It seemed like not half as bad as he initially thought in his youth... He might've gone and moved there for a change. Peter quickly scoffed and rubbed the thought out.

"No... no, I can't move out of Bruhl... the town's in my blood..." Peter muttered, looking at the shawl around his neck, and glancing at the hat on his head.

Peter thought of what was happening in Bruhl right now. The town was no doubt in ruins by now. It's been about four months since Bruhl's invasion, the brave men and women of the town watch laying down their lives to buy time for the citizens. Looking back, Peter felt like a complete coward for leaving Bruhl with Susie, even if the watch was faced with impossible odds. And some day, Peter knew he had to go back to face Bruhl in the rebuilding, and help out. There was no way he wasn't going to fulfill the commitment to his city, though the thought of seeing the town he once knew as a former shadow of itself was... unnerving. Whenever Peter thought of Bruhl, he always wished it could go back to normal. Dan being his partner in crime. Noce being the uptight poet the former two made fun of. Hunting around the nearby forests. Watching the proud Bruhl windmills. Watching out for Susie, without wondering if she could die the next day. Nothing in the border town would ever be the same again. Sighing as he looked off to the horizon, Peter stared off to the starry gaze, and looked towards the horizon, with Randgriz Castle flashing out behind the midnight sky.

"Huh... maybe I could move here some day. Randgriz is... pretty." Peter then raised his brows at the comment that left his mouth and scoffed. "Yeah right. So's the sun. But if I keep looking at either of them, I'll go blind..." Peter scoffed. "What am I thinking? Bruhl's the only place for me. I was born there, I'll probably die there... considering Imps don't get me first..."

Peter turned his head away from the incriminating view of the city's skyline. If he just turns his back on Bruhl like he did back during the initial assault, he wouldn't forgive himself. The prospect of dying before even being able to return to Bruhl would seem even more of an insult. Peter sighed and looked for a distraction. Thinking that the supposed party downstairs was as good as any, the Bruhler walked out of the empty office downstairs. What he saw surprised him. In the wide open space in the center of the tank hangar, several members of the squad were dancing around, some with or without partners. They danced around the small band of militia men and women who played a couple of instruments, forming their own little orchestra. Most people Peter couldn't recognize, though the sight of people simply blowing off steam and enjoying themselves was enough to bring something of a smile to his face. Hell, people even wore casual clothing, or elaborate dresses and suits instead of military uniform. The blue militia uniform made Peter seem out of place, even if his hat and shawl just made him look like a well-equipped civilian (which incidentally enough, wasn't too far from the truth). Peter walked on, observing the waltzes and graceful (or awkward) movements of everyone. As he continued pacing around the tank hangar, or dance floor as they used it, Peter noticed a peculiar sight. Two girls were attempting to practice a sort of dance, both of them doing reasonably bad. Peter didn't have the slightest clue of dancing, though he was pretty confident that they were very uncoordinated. Peter laughed a bit at the comical event.

"Oh, ow! Stop stepping on my toes!" exclaimed the first girl.

"Ah, I'm sorry! T-that was my fault..." replied the second.

"Darn it, Nancy! You told me you could dance!"

"I did! I mean... I danced in middle school, but I was still a bit high in the class rankings!" Nancy replied. The klutz adjusted her glasses nervously."Oh... I'm sorry, Claudia."

"Ugh, how am I supposed to impress anyone when we both end up stumbling around? You're a nice gal, Nancy... maybe I should've asked Freesia..." Claudia replied. Peter raised a brow.

"So... What's going on here?" Peter asked. The sound of his voice caused both girls to jump. Both girls seemed to have had trouble calming down before composing themselves and turning to Peter. Opened her mouth, though hesitated slightly. After clearing her throat, she replied.

"Oh, well haven't you heard about that little ball that's going on here? I'm surprised you just got here," Claudia said, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Since the lieutenant is off to his own meeting with the Princess of Gallia, leaving us behind, we tried to have our own little ball. For fun."

"A ball? Is that what they're calling it now?" Peter asked, laughing a bit. "The things people come up with..."

"Yeah... can't you tell?" Claudia asked. It there that Peter noticed what Claudia was wearing. She definitely wasn't wearing something standard of the militia, and they were pretty liberal about dress code as is. She was clad in a faded red dress, with some makeshift and improvised stitching which was clearly made to look formal. The fact she was wearing her traditional headband that matched with her outfit made her seem very peculiar and odd. She did about a twirl and let the bottom of the dress circle around with her and flourished a bow. Nancy was wearing a similar outfit that matched a hat not unlike Peter's. However, it looked less cheesy without special elaborate stitching.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Peter blurted. Despite the blunt nature of his question, Claudia still kept a somewhat cheery demeanor.

"It's a dress... Does it look convincing?" she asked. Clearly, she looked like she was very interested in the coming answer, so Peter stopped to think about his words.

"I think you look great," Peter said, though he was partly lying. The stitching on her dress alone made it tacky enough, let alone the fact she kept the headband. "Though I think you need to lose the headband. It seems out of place," he admitted.

Claudia looked down toward the ground to think before raising her head up. "Why do you wear your hat all the time?" she asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Because of my father...?" Peter replied, not sure where this was going. Claudia nodded at Peter's statement.

"Exactly. You honor your father, and I honor mine by wearing this," she said, pointing to the worn red band around her forehead.

Peter face palmed, almost wanting to kick himself for not remembering that fact that she told him when they first met. "So... What are you doing? I mean, you're still dressed in...that, and I assume you're still dancing?"

"Well..." Claudia stammered. "I was practicing how to dance with Nancy... but she hasn't been the 'ideal partner' so far..." Claudia began. Nancy quickly made an apologetic expression. "But I just want to try and get better, you know? I want to make myself look good in front of... certain people..."

"You're kidding. Why are you even doing this, doesn't it seem... childish?" Peter questioned skeptically. Claudia did about a mock gasp, though she seemed to be keeping her expression light-hearted.

"Oh, c'mon. Live a little! It's just fun!"

"Heh... Fine, do you want me to help you out a little?" Peter asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Wait... what?" Claudia stammered.

"Sure, I might be able to help out with your problem. I might not know much of dancing, but I think I have better... footing..." Peter said, trying his best not to make Nancy feel bad.

"Are you sure?" Claudia insisted, her face a faint shade of red. "I mean, you don't have to if, if you don't want to. If y-you've got other things to do, or you might be dancing with Sus-"

Interrupting Claudia's rant, Peter took Claudia's hand to the dancing area. The engineer tried mouthing words to Nancy, as if for some sort of help, however the klutz was distracted by Ted, who was chatting her up, before leaving altogether. Seeing her friend not a reliable source of help anymore, Claudia turned to her partner.

"Hey, you said to live a little, right?" Peter repeated. Somewhat unsure, the headband-clad girl shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"Yeah..." Claudia replied, smiling a bit. "I guess I did..."

* * *

Noce Wordsworth stood in his corner, separated from the rest of the group. Some of the older 7's were off watching, or off on their own activities as the others danced across an open space in what was once the tank hangar. A small group of 7's, most of whom Noce couldn't recognize, were playing instruments, including a piano, a violin, and even a tuba played by Melville of all people. Noce looked at the stage of dancers. Some groups were rather obvious, such as Lynn dancing with Karl (the latter of whom had difficulty due to an injury sustained in the escape from Kloden). Despite that, his lover caringly acted as his crutch for the duration of the song. Homer and that annoying girl, Edy were dancing, though every time the engineer made a mistake in his footing, or was off beat to the song being played, Edy would strike him. Yet he still enthusiastically complies and changes accordingly. Now _that_ took patience. Or it was simply his masochistic and twisted outlook on life. Hermes was humorously dancing with himself, though every once in a while, a girl humored him for a short song. But he never convinced another girl to dance with him for a second song. Freesia undoubtedly was dominating the dance floor (her partner Salinas was there just to look good beside her; he couldn't hold a light to her skill). Other pairings were... surprising. Ted of all people was dancing with Nancy, and Noce thought that the infamous jester had a thing for Marina. Or maybe he did, and was just dancing with Nancy because Marina wouldn't allow Ted within twenty feet of her.

Noce looked on, thinking how fun the event looked. Hell, he'd have to write about this some day. Still, as fun as this event could be, Noce was still a tad depressed at the notion.

"Damn... if only Alicia were here..." Noce sighed, wishing for a single moment with Alicia to call his own.

"Alicia? What do you possibly see in her?" a voice retorted. Noce shockingly looked back to see a blonde woman in a pair of glasses sitting next to him. Unlike most other people in the room, she was wearing her standard militia uniform. The mention of the master sergeant's name put an ugly scowl on an otherwise pretty face. Noce had no idea who this woman was, or what her problem was.

"What the hell do you have against Alicia?" Noce asked accusingly.

"I don't know what people see in her. What makes her so special?" the woman asked.

"How can you say that?" Noce questioned, raising his voice. "Besides, who do you like that can even be compared to Alicia?"

The woman laughed, and her eyes were lowered, as if daydreaming. "The man I like... is Welkin Gunth-"

"The lieutenant? What the hell?" Noce shouted.

The woman reacted quickly by grabbing the front of Noce's uniform and dragging his face close to hers. "Keep your voice down! I don't want people to hear about this..." she told him in a hushed voice, almost threateningly.

"What the hell is up with Welkin? He's naive, he's oblivious, and he hides behind his father's fame!" Noce argued, his voice somewhat lowered. The blonde woman loosened her grip Noce's shirt, though an annoyed expression was on her face.

"Don't you dare say that about Welkin! He is a kind and great man who has helped save your ass more than once! And what is this Alicia's problem? She's just trying to veil herself as a cute and defenseless girl who the commander needs to protect! She's just a damsel dangling in front of the lieutenant! I mean, he's of course going to help her, but she's just going to-"

"Hey! Don't say that about Alicia! I will have you know that she's was a captain at the Bruhl Town Watch, and she was one hell of a shot! She can prove herself in a fight. Unlike Welkin, who hides in a tank while we're dying on the front lines..."

"Well I'll have _you_ know that Welkin is a handsome and intelligent man, a graduate from the Randgriz University, and his extensive intelligence about nature and the Gallian environment has won us many battles! His experience as a tank commander also gives us our ace, and without him, you'd be taking the brunt of some tank shell! I mean, what's Alicia's special talent? Shouldn't Welkin be with someone as smart as he is?"

"Hey! Alicia is a selfless person, a protector, and she'd die for her friends! She's a baker too, and always makes the greatest breads, and contributes to the community in more ways than just researching in some city university! She should be with someone who helps out the town as much as she does!"

"Welkin has helped people throughout his whole life! He's taught children, he's come up with several new discoveries to the academic and biological world, and he does all of this in his life, while looking after his sister Isara, without any other family support whatsoever!"

"Alicia has proven herself to be the bravest and strongest soldier of Squad 7!"

"Lieutenant Gunther has only little experience, and yet he has proven himself to be the greatest commander in the Gallian Militia!"

Both Noce and Juno opened their mouths, as if to remark another comment as to why their love interest is the greatest person in the world, though both of them were speechless. They weren't out of things to say; they could do that all day. But when each of them listened momentarily to the comments and praise of Welkin and Alicia, the two hopeless romantics lowered their heads, in resignation and defeat. With the information soaking in, they realized just how pathetic they must seem in comparison to each of their counterparts.

"A baker... a protector... a friend of everyone..." Juno muttered.

"A graduate... a selfless guy... a leader..." Noce repeated.

"No wonder they like each other..." they both said in unison.

Juno looked toward the ground shamefully, while Noce buried his face in his palms. Both of them sat in depressing silence, thinking about the now-bleak possibility that their life-long friends could ever be with them.

"So, I assume Alicia chose Welkin over you?" the glasses-wearing girl asked.

"Yeah... and Welkin chose Alicia over you?" Noce replied. The woman nodded. Both of them sighed.

"Unfortunately... Anyway, I'm Juno."

"I'm Noce."

The two nodded again, though each of them sat in silence. The air hung with an intense, uncomfortable feeling, only broken by the relative cheerfulness of the music playing by the dance floor. Noce got back to observing the dance floor. The crowd hadn't died out yet, and people were as cheerful as ever. However, amongst the crowd, Noce was able to see a familiar blue hat, and a familiar cursed headband. When he saw the two walking toward the dance floor, he tried to come up with several conclusions as to what the two could be doing, though Noce was led to a single answer each time.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Noce said. It was surprising to say the least, and the poet would definitely have to talk to him about this later.

Seeing as how even Peter seemed to be getting up towards the dance floor made him a bit antsy. Noce just at least wanted to blow off the steam and just do something he hadn't done since he joined the militia: have fun. He'd been a bit crabby and angered over Welkin taking away Alicia, and maybe this was necessary. And now way in hell he was going to stoop down the Herme's level and dance himself. Hesitantly, Noce looked to his side and saw Juno, who was also looking at him quizzically. Both opened their mouths, as to say something, though each of them nodded and read each other's minds, as Noce walked with Juno to the dance floor.

That act didn't mean anything. Noce stayed faithful that Welkin would screw up and Alicia would be left heartbroken. Then, he planned to swoop in and comfort Alicia and tell her everything's going to be all right. Noce also knew that Juno would no doubt be waiting for Welkin to screw up his relationship too. Then she could swoop in too, and everybody would be happy. Until then, Noce was perfectly content to dancing a waltz alongside the bespectacled beauty known as Juno.

And Juno knew that she was content with dancing with this country poet, until the time Alicia screws up her relationship with Welkin, and she and Noce could pick up the pieces of their broken hearts.

Until then, the hopeless romantics danced a melodic waltz, with as much twisting rhythms, swaying tones, and odd expressions as their own minds.

* * *

Peter guided Claudia towards the dancing area, as the small band of 7's started to play a new tune, a jazzy and rather fast one.

"Hey, I love this song! Let's go!" Claudia exclaimed, now being the one guiding Peter.

As they ran into the crowd, Peter attempted to try and strike a stance similar to a dance position that the people around him took, and how he felt a dancing stance should look in his own mind. Claudia did the same, though Peter could tell her stance was a bit awkward.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Peter asked. The luckless girl looked down at her feet, though Peter couldn't tell if she was a bit embarrassed, or simply checking her footing.

"No..." she meekly responded.

"Neither do I."

That was enough to give her some slight encouragement. As the notes playing paced faster, Peter attempted to move alongside Claudia, however his focus was interrupted by a strange noise coming from the background. Several other of the 7's also heard it, until the band's music was interrupted altogether just to hear what the disturbance was. A siren echoed throughout the buildings in Fort Amatrain, and people stood in wonder as to what could be going on. Several confused, nervous, or otherwise uncomfortable faces stood throughout the tank hangar, at a loss of what could be going on.

"Just my luck... What is that...?" Claudia asked. Most of the squad was now visibly nervous. "Are the Imps breaching the town's walls?" Lots of chatter and panicked voices filled the crowd as soon as Claudia said that. Cursing herself for even mentioning such a thing out loud in a crowd, the luckless girl tried to calm down the people around her, trying to assure them that they weren't being invaded.

"Some kind of emergency siren, I know that much... hey, wait a sec..." Peter mumbled. As the siren blared throughout the base, a new strange noise was being played, coming from several locations within the crowd. Peter looked down and noticed his radio receiving a transmission.

It became clear that the noise was static coming from the radios the 7's had on them. Those still in uniform, or otherwise kept their radios stopped to listen. More static, followed by slight chatter in the background followed, until a clear and recognizable voice came on through the channels. All of the 7's began huddling up to those with the radios, just to hear what could be going on.

_"Bzzt... Attention all units! Attention all units! This is Captain Eleanor Varrot of the Gallian Militia!"  
_

The crowd stayed dead silent at the voice of their captain. Each of them stood at attention, nervously waiting for whatever orders were going to be thrown at them.

_"Bzzt... Princess Cordelia has been kidnapped by Federation operatives. I need all units in the area to mobilize themselves at once!"  
_

Throughout the entire squad, there was an uproar of shock, anger, surprise, and rage. Throughout the crowd, people were shouting things, some of them slurs on the Federation, and some even took arms.

"My god... those bastards..." Peter muttered under his breath. His brows furrowed, and the scout found himself clenching his fists. "Those sons a bitches..."

Those still in uniform with their equipment started heading out, and even some squad members in their civilian clothes took nothing more than a rifle and a ragnaid capsule. Everyone else headed to their barracks, to gather their things and take the fight to the Feds. Seeing a team in uniform already marching outside through the hangar doors, Peter took off in their direction though he felt someone tugging at his arm. Peter quickly turned around to see a distraught Claudia.

"Hey... you still owe me a dance!" she exclaimed.

Peter nodded in recognition, and took off after the engineer loosened her grip. She then ran off with the rest of the squad towards the barracks to change into their equipment.

_"Bzzt... This is Captain Varrot of the Gallian Militia! I need any units in the area to go towards any and all ports at the edge of Randgriz. We have reason to believe that they will attempt to pull out by boat! Be advised, the Feds are traveling in an armed and armored car. And no explosives! Repeat! No explosives at all! We cannot risk harming the Princess! Use small arms to take out their radiators... Your mission is to rescue Her Highness unharmed. Failure isn't an option on this one, soldiers..." _

Peter continued patrolling the area. The team in front of him divided up, presumably to scout out the armored vehicle's location. For all they knew, the Feds might have been on the other side of town, or somewhere far off and away from the squad's line of sight. Despite any doubt, every Gallian knew what the risks and duties were, and spreading out offered better chances of finding the Federation ops. Each marched on, scouting positions and ready to get the princess back. Peter started patrolling a alleyway, south towards the warehouse district.

* * *

It was almost an hour, and by now, a unit had to be positioned at every major exit in Randgriz, including the Royal Guard and Squad 7. It didn't take long for Peter to realize that they were some of the only line of defense. Aside from the royal guard, Squads 7 and 9 were the only military forces in Randgriz, and the 9's were on the opposite side of Randgriz. Everyone else was deployed somewhere, and the Regulars were barely reliable considering they had to cover Damon's ass. Collaborating with the local police forces in Randgriz, blockades and searches were being conducted of every vehicle passing by certain checkpoints across the capital. Progress was being broadcasted through radio channels. And so far, no luck recovering the car with Princess Cordelia.

Peter was pacing back and forth across a maze of alleys in the warehouse district close to a nearby port, with some other 7's wandering the area. Peter had a map of Randgriz in his possession to help get his bearings. He was in a southern port and storage area known as the Graz Warehouse District. The night and pure silence, backed up by what was at stake on this mission, gave Peter nothing but anxiety, as he sweated, moving back and forth through the endless hallways of a seemingly mirrored street or alley. The fact that nobody reported any sightings of an armored vehicle driving around was troubling. How stealthy could a large armored car be? Either they mapped some sort of secret path, the intel on their vehicle or means of transportation was off, or the Feds were listening to their radio chatter. If the the latter was true, then that meant they knew where an area could be at its weakest. Or maybe the Federation already made out with Princess Cordelia. The very thought shivered Peter's bones. No, they couldn't have. Peter tried to stay as alert as he could. In this particular operation, the Bruhler knew he was participating in something far larger than he was.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." Peter kept repeating. He couldn't help but clench his teeth, and tighten the grip on his rifle. This was the _Princess_ that rode on the line. Nothing the Imps were able to throw seemed as much as an immediate threat as what the Federation was plotting.

"Hey, Peter!" Peter immediately turned around, Gallian rifle in hand, and aimed towards the voice. Claudia Mann raised her hands in the air innocently. "I-it's me, Claudia!"

Peter sighed and lowered the gun. He saw that she was now in uniform, though much of the heavy engineer equipment she usually wears, like her repairing tools, were left behind, only leaving a few pouches and a backpack. "Damn, this is really getting to me... We're just a couple of militia grunts, Claudia... why the hell are we trying to rescue the future Duchess of Gallia?"

Claudia lowered her arms slowly. "I dunno... then again, what makes being a soldier and defending Gallia from the Imperials any different?"

The blue-capped scout didn't respond, instead continuing his sweep of the area. With no response, Claudia merely sighed and joined in on Peter's patrol. It was comforting to have another set of feet following behind him, though Peter was still bordering paranoid on the situation at hand. He paced his steps, holding the rifle and using a keep eye to look in the distance. Peter noticed ladder leading up to a stairwell to the roof of a warehouse. Without warning, Peter climbed up the ladder and walked up the stairs, still leaving Claudia trying to catch up. Once on the roof, the scout took his binoculars out and started looking across Randgriz's urban landscape. He tried to pick out a vehicle, or any sign suspicious activity. As Peter looked for the kidnappers, Claudia looked towards the horizon and the moonlit waters of the Vasel River. She looked at the waters and the harbor, in nostalgia and wonder.

"You know, Randgriz kinda reminds me of my old town Port Water..." Claudia said. Peter listened, though he was too focused on scouting around to actually respond, or turn his head to face her even. "It was an old harbor and trading town, and people used to import and export things from Gallia to and from the Federation... Seeing these docks here kinda reminds me of that..."

In the midst of Claudia's talk of her home town, Peter noticed a man patrolling an alleyway in the warehouse district. Peter took a careful look at the man, trying to see anything that could be regarded as suspicious. He didn't look familiar, and he was definitely wearing a uniform from the Militia. A metal helmet covered his head and features.

"You know, Port Water was always crowded too, and there was always something going on everywhere... Of course, lots of people and things going on didn't exactly go well for me, considering my bad-"

"Claudia, do you know who that guy is? Is he another member of the squad?" Peter interrupted. The engineer stopped her rant, and quizzically looked at him. The Bruhler handed her his binoculars, and Claudia looked through the lenses. She carefully observed him.

"Huh... is he a policeman? No, he's wearing a militia uniform... I know a bunch of people on the squad by face, but I don't recognize him... Maybe he's from Squad 9 like the Captain said earlier?" she asked.

"No, Varrot also mentioned that Squad 9's on the other side of the city, opposite from us. What the hell is a Squad 9 soldier doing so far away from his unit?"

Claudia merely shrugged. Peter took his binoculars back and headed towards the stairwell. He quickly stepped down and slid down the ladder, Claudia trying to catch up with him again.

"Hey, Peter! Not so fast! Ah!" she cried. Peter was already on the ground, though he looked up and saw that the luckless girl had already fallen down the stairs. "Eh... I'm used to a few bangs and bruises..."

Claudia quickly got up and followed in Peter's suit. The militiaman paced around. Peter and Claudia hid in the shadows, trying to track the man down. The latter tried questioning as to why the needed to be stealthy at all, though Peter quickly dismissed her. As the two approached him, almost creeping silently, the militia soldier noticed a shadow and almost jumped, quickly turning around to face them.

"Oh, Valkyrur, you scared me. What the hell are you two doing?" the soldier meekly asked.

"We're patrolling the area. We need to be on the lookout for the Feds or anything that might lead us to Princess Cordelia," Peter explained.

"I see... Well, we're both looking for the same thing. Maybe we should just split up, and expand our search area. I'll be getting backup from my squad later on, don't worry. We'll handle this patrol."

Claudia nodded, though Peter looked on skeptically. "Whose unit are you in?" Peter questioned.

"Look, I'm on a strict order by a Captain Varrot. I don't know if that name means anything to you, but I make sure to follow her orders. Now please, move along," the soldier asked, in a rather polite and courteous manner. Claudia shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think this guy has anything important. He's just another militia soldier like us."

With the spin of her heel, Claudia was about to walk off. Peter was about to follow her, giving the militiaman one last glare before leaving. However, that one glare opened his eyes. Peter noticed the patch on the militiaman's arm. It had the militia's insignia, with a number 3 sewn in.

"What the hell...?" Peter asked. He looked at that patch. It was a Squad 3 uniform. No question about it. Even if this man was a reserve who replaced someone since Peter left his old squad, Captain Varrot told him personally that Squad 3 was now disbanded since the fiasco in Barious. Though he wasn't sure if that was supposed to be common knowledge yet. Peter's eyes darted to and forth the patch and the militia soldier's face, most of the latter was being covered up by a helmet a size or two too big.

"Trouble?" the man asked. Peter regained his composure and stood at a more relaxed stance.

"No, I'm fine... so you're from Squad 3, right?" Peter asked, seeing if his suspicions are accurately made.

"Uh, yes sir. Recruited recently about a couple months ago."

"Uh huh... How's the lieutenant doing?" Peter said, continuing to play along.

"Well... last time I recall, he was out in the field. Took a nasty blow from a grenade, but I heard he'll be alright. We'll be out to push those Imp bastards out in no time," the militiaman assured.

Peter immediately pointed his rifle at the militiaman's head, Claudia wondering what in the world could be going on. The soldier kept his arms at his sides, not in the slightest bit nervous. "Soldier, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Cut the bullshit. Squad 3 was disbanded recently. I saw the Lieutenant die with my own two eyes. Who the hell are you?" Peter demanded, keeping his aim on the man.

The soldier raised his brows, and what was once a calm demeanor turned to panic. He started to sweat, he looked down at the ground on his own two feet. Then his eyes wandered toward Claudia.

He simply sighed. "Fuck."

The man immediately grabbed Claudia, and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at her head. Claudia herself didn't resist, possibly out of shock or fear that if she squirmed, he might shoot her. The impostor held her as a human shield, and he had a hint of desperation in his eyes. Those eyes constantly darted from Claudia to Peter, anxiety slowly taking over. He shakily keeps the gun fixated on Claudia's head. Peter could tell this guy didn't have a lot of confidence. He was desperate, and simply lost it.

"L-look, maybe we can work somethi-"

Peter saw he wasn't focused on Claudia, his aim lowering slightly, and the scout took the opportunity to fire his rifle. He shot the impostor in the shoulder, yelping in pain. He let go of Claudia to try and nurse his wound. The engineer limply fell to the ground, the man shocked at how easily he let go of his hostage. Looking back at Peter, the man fired his pistol but missed, so he tried to make a mad run for it. He was running fast, but Peter aimed his gun and targeted his leg down the irons. With a few deep breathes, another squeeze of the trigger, and the slight recoil, a rifle round went straight through the enemy's knee. Stumbling, the man fell to the ground helpless. Peter ran straight to him. Placing a boot on his neck, the Bruhler had the sights pinned on his head.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Peter interrogated. The poser spit blood on Peter's boot. He quickly retaliated by smacking him in the face with the rifle butt. "Wrong answer."

"Damn it..." he coughed. "Fine, you got me..."

"Who are you, and who are you working for?" Peter demanded. The wounded man eyed his pistol on the ground, though the sight of this Gallian man's rifle aimed at his head tore up any hopes of resistance.

"Fuck it... I'm an operative for Ambassador Townshend. The political spokesman for the Atlantic Federation..." he weakly replied.

"You Fed sons a bitches... You're no better than the Imperials! Where the hell is the armored car with the Princess!"

"Yeah, right... If I tell you, I get killed."

"Alright, I see how it is. Either you die now or later!" Peter encouraged, pushing the end of rifle barrel against the Fed's forehead.

"Okay! Okay! We've been listening in through the comm channels and looking for a place that isn't heavily guarded! We then escaped and want to cause as little casualties for Gallia as possible! My job's just to scout an area and see if it's clear!" he panicked. The Federalist closed his eyes, sweating and shaking heavily.

"Where the hell did you get these uniforms?" the scout pressed on.

"I-I don't know! Some of the other ops said they found some of these in an empty barracks!" he cried out, still stammering and scared for his life.

Peter still hovered his finger over the trigger. He didn't exactly know what to make of that. For all he knew, this Fed was a guy who tried to steal the Princess, and disturbed the belongings of the wounded and dead to do so. Peter was tempted to end this guy's misery on the spot, though a radio transmission coming in interrupted the thought. And the message wasn't coming from Peter's.

_"Bzzt... Attention! Is the Graz Warehouse District clear?"_

The Fed looked down towards the radio on his belt and back to his captor. Sweating heavily, the spy breathed heavily, looking at Peter, who seemed to think for a minute. Then an idea creeped in his head.

"Well? Are you going to answer him or not?" Peter prompted. The Federalist's brows raised, still looking at the end of the rifle. The Fed sighed in resignation, realizing what his Gallian captor was implying. He hesitantly took the radio.

"Uh, yes Mr. Townshend? Graz Warehouse District is... clear. Prepare the mark for transport, over."

_"Bzzt... Excellent. In the name of peace and equality We join hands in the brotherhood..." _

"To defend these ideals from evil... Will we stand and fight..." the soldier finished. He terminated his transmission and looked back at Peter. "So... I helped you out... Can you let me go? I swear to god, I thought I was doing this for the greater good of Europa!" he defended. Peter held his gaze at the terrified Fed's face, until he decided to loosed the pressure on his neck, and take aim off of his head.

"You've got your chance. Get the hell out of Gallia. You might make it to the Federation and get medical attention before you bleed out. If I see you again, I'll finish the job."

The man quickly took advantage of the offer, springing himself off of the ground making a mad dash towards anywhere that wasn't there. Peter regretted letting him live, though he pitied him on how pathetic the first Fed he ever met was. It was a wonder why the Empire hadn't conquered them already. Looking back, Peter noticed Claudia was still on the ground. His eyes wide in surprise that she hadn't gotten up yet, he rushed toward her side.

"Claudia? Claudia!" he repeated. She wasn't conscious, that was for sure. He checker her body for any wounds he or the Fed might have inflicted, though she looked perfectly fine. She probably fainted because of the mere shock of the situation she was in. Though the matter didn't bother Peter as much as it would others. Peter had to deal with Susie fainting all the time, and this was as normal as anything got. Still, it was a pain in the ass for him to sling Claudia over his shoulder and hoist her up. At least she left behind most of her engineer's equipment. With a free hand, Peter transmitted a signal to Captain Varrot. Eventually, he got a response. Some comm chatter ensued, until the unmistakable voice of the Captain could be heard.

"Captain Varrot! This is Corporal Rothchild of Squad 7! I have confirmation that the Feds are on their way to the Graz Warehouse District! The transport will be here soon, you need to hurry!" he quickly explained. After a moment or so of comprehending this information, he got his response.

_"Acknowledged. I'll be sure to alert any 7's in the area, as well as collaborate with the local police forces. They'll be on the way. Excellent work, Peter." _Varrot thanked.

"Be advised, the enemy is wearing uniforms of the Gallian Militia. Squad 3 in particular. Tell them to be alert," Peter continued.

_"Will do. Keep at it, Corporal. Happy hunting."_ The transmission ended, and Peter continued to lug around Claudia's unconscious form.

Peter continued a patrol, humorously with Claudia slung over his shoulder. With his rifle strapped around his chest, Peter kept his pistol on his with his free hand, on the lookout for any suspicious characters. It was still as tense as ever. The silence. The stakes. The success or failure of this mission riding on the balance. But after dealing with that Fed earlier, he knew he had a bit more confidence this time. He continued walking along the dark alleys, watching for any sign of movement or disturbances. In a way, hunting down Feds was sort of like the tracking and hunting Peter did in his civilian life. Looking out for footprints, listening to the minute sounds, and the like.

Peter was almost on a role when he found a wet footprint made from a nearby puddle. Gently placing Claudia on the ground and leaning her body against a wall, Peter treaded carefully, his pistol still firm in his grasp. He couldn't register the fact subtle footsteps were following him. Then, the unmistakable sound of a cocked gun.

"Put you're hands in the air! Now!" a voice shouted.

Peter immediately reacted by pointing his gun towards the origin of the disturbance, though he was left quite shocked. Somehow, a man managed to get around him, and while Peter didn't care for the details, this man now had the barrel of a shotgun pointing at the Bruhler's face. He looked like an aged man, bald, and a blue headband around his head. Despite the fact he was outgunned, Peter kept his aim fixated on the old guy.

"Who the hell are you?" the old man asked. Peter remained steady and ready to shoot as ever.

"Who the hell are _you_?" Peter retorted. The man with the shotgun didn't flinch, neither did he seem amused.

"One old son of a bitch you don't want to piss off. Now answer my fucking question."

Peter stayed his ground. The shotgun to his head unnerved him, though whether a type of bravery, bravado, or stupidity kept him standing there calmly, he didn't care to discern. "I'm Corporal Peter Rothchild of Squad 7."

"Squad 7, eh? Hmm... Bullshit," he called back. "Kid, I know pretty much most of that Squad by face, and I ain't never seen you before."

"Damn it old man, I'm telling you the truth! I was transferred in from Squad 3 way back, and-"

"You shut the hell up!" the old guy yelled. He smacked Peter in the chest with the barrel, causing him to stumble back, and the pistol in his hands to slip. Seeing as how the old man was keeping his finger over the trigger a little too close for comfort, Peter slowly raised his hands. "I don't know how you assholes in the Federation do it, but out here in Gallia, the guy with the bigger gun does the talking," the old man told him.

Peter stood very still, though he felt as though he didn't have much to fear from him, since he knew he _was _telling the truth about his status in Squad 7. And it seemed obvious that this guy was also a Gallian militiaman. The old man then eyed Claudia, who was unconscious on the ground.

"I heard some gunshots earlier. And that's Private... Mann, isn't it? What the hell did you do to her?" he asked, closing the space on Peter's head and the end of the barrel.

"I didn't do anything! I caught the real Fed operative, and he knocked her out! I'm the one who found out they were wearing Militia uniforms! I'm the guy who gave Varrot the message! I don't have a damn thing to be afraid of if I know I'm telling you the truth."

However, when Peter heard another set of footsteps walking by, that was enough to cause a bit more fear that he would have wanted. He could hear another weapon being loaded with a new clip, followed by a light, sadistic laugh.

"Finally found one of those Fed cowards?" a snakily eery voice called. It sent a shiver down Peter's spine, yet it was somewhat nostalgic of someone.

"Hey Jane, you recognize this little prick? Claims he's from Squad 7," the old man called out. Peter turned around slightly, and saw a woman with short black hair, pale skin, and a dark eye makeup. In the dark, she looked very intimidating indeed, though it took Peter a second to recognize the face and name. A blurry image hung in Peter's mind, until the face cleared into what he saw before him. She was the florist back in Bruhl. And judging from the look of surprise on Jane's face, she seemed to have recognized him too.

"What the hell...? Peter...?" Jane asked hesitantly. The man with the shotgun kept the firearm close to Peter's head, though the scout eased up and lowered his arms after hearing his own name.

"Jane? Huh... Noce told me you were in the Squad. Never thought I'd ever really see you of all people though," Peter replied with a shrug. Jane skeptically observed Peter before lowering her machine gun. She then signaled the old man to lower his weapon. Peter hesitantly picked up his pistol from the ground.

"You actually _know _this asshole, Jane?" he asked. She nodded her head, and even seemed slightly surprised to see a small grin on her face.

"Yeah... Peter here was a town watchman back in Bruhl. Most of 'em were a buncha stuck up assholes, but Peter seemed to get out of my way most of the time. He's alright," she commented. The old man looked at Jane quizically, then back at Peter.

"Heh, damn right he'd stay out of you're way... So, he's definitely not a Fed if he's from Bruhl? Damn, I thought knew everyone in the squad by now..." he sighed.

"Yeah, maybe you're just getting senile, old man."

Ignoring Jane, the man extended a hand to Peter. "Sorry about that. Just got caught up with finding anyone in Militia uniform I didn't recognize. The name's Coby Caird. No hard feelings about earlier, right?"

Still slightly taken aback by Coby's change of tune, Peter hesitantly shook his hand. "Right... no hard feelings... I guess..." he mumbled, not really sure if he could trust this guy. Jane was also questionable, though he felt that he could at least depend on her in a firefight. He knew that she had a rather... violent outlook, and that was before the war. He didn't know how this conflict changed her, and he didn't _want_ to know.

Coby nodded, and eyed Claudia, who was still unconscious on the ground. She was still knocked out, though she looked more like she was sleeping, noticing the slight rise and fall of her chest, and a rather peaceful look about her. "What do we do about her?" Coby mentioned, pointing at the engineer.

"Well, maybe we just get someone to pick her up. I mean, I don't want to... disturb her or anything. Can't we get someone to-"

Peter's suggestion was interrupted as Jane lightly kicked Claudia on her shoulder. "Hey, wake your ass up!"

Claudia stirred slightly before lazily opening an eye. She rubs her shoulder, mumbling about something about her hometown and some random person that nobody could understand. Yawning, Claudia got off the ground, albeit still wobbly, but managed to regain her footing and noticed the three individuals in front of her.

"W-what... happened...?" she asked, curiously looking at everyone.

"You got knocked out when that Fed tried taking you hostage..." Peter explained quickly, yet still a bit concerned.

"What? Oh... why do things like that happen to _me_? Just my luck, huh?" the luckless girl mused with a shrug. Claudia noticed Jane standing nearby with a stern look on her pale face, almost causing the engineer flinching but remained steady on her toes. She looked almost unnerved by her, though the luckless girl merely focused her attention back to Peter. "So, uh, what happened since?"

Peter gave Claudia his pistol, while unstrapping the rifle for himself. "We need to find those kidnapping bastards. They're on their way here via armored car. Backup should be coming for us soon, so I say if we manage to find the car, or any other of those weird operatives they have, I say we stick around and kick some Federation ass."

"Now you're speaking my language. Where do we start?" Jane asked, enthusiastically. Peter noticed how people were starting to follow his lead again, and he remembered all too well what happened the last time. Still, Peter knew the risks of this mission, and he felt a bit more comfortable that the odds of survival and success were a lot higher in Randgriz in contrast to the unforgiving Kloden Wildwood. Peter pulled out the map he used earlier to plot out a course.

"Alright... so according to this, this warehouse district has two major entrances for traffic. Right here in the northwestern part of the district is where me and Claudia came through..." Peter planned out, pointing towards the key points on the map.

"And this place here, in the eastern side... This looks like the place Jane and I were just at..." Coby mentioned, pointing to the second entrance to the district. "So if we just fan out or something, we can just probably be on the lookout and wait for the other 7's to get there. Sounds like a plan."

"Alright, so you and Jane keep watch for any Feds on the way. Try to be alert too; anyone in militia uniforms might be a spy or enemy soldier. Remember: If they're wearing a Squad 3 uniform, they're not one of us. But who knows what else they've got under their sleeves... I'll get Claudia and we'll just go to the place we came in," Peter said. Coby nodded and went off to his own path. Jane followed suit, but not before glancing at Peter and nodding in acknowledgment. She then eagerly ran off, ahead of Coby, no doubt enthusiastic to fight the Feds.

Claudia stayed relatively silent since she woke up, and whether she was trying to recall the past events, registering the info, or simply fighting her grogginess was unknown.

"Claudia, you ready? We've gotta go."

The engineer snapped out of her daze, and her stance tensed up. She respectfully saluted and nodded. Peter laughed at the little gesture.

"Oh, come on, Claudia. I might be a corporal now, but I'm not the damn captain. I'm not good with formalities anyway," he said.

"Oh, well alright... Where to?"

Peter headed off, following the map as a way to guide himself through the dark alleys he had lost himself in. Claudia was right behind him.

* * *

"So this Peter guy has been with us since the Kloden op?"

"Yup..."

"He's been with us for a couple months then? Damn, I never really got that kind of thing wrong before..."

"Maybe you're just getting senile, old man."

"Shit... Well, as long as I remember how to pull a trigger, I think that's enough to last through the war."

Jane nodded, and even grinned slightly. The old man was a pain in the ass, but the florist did respect him. He knew how to use a gun, he killed a bunch of Imps twenty years ago in the first war, and he still taught her a thing or two on being a shocktroop in the front lines. He was sort of alright in her book.

The two shocktroopers advanced through the alleyways. After navigating the urban area, they came across the entrance they went through that lead to the district. Several men, Randgriz law enforcement judging from their peaked caps, were setting up blockades. Two jeeps, and a wooden fence blocked the entryway to the district. Several armed officers were armed with rifles and pistols not unlike the standard issue for the militia. One of the officers noticed the pair walking by, and walked over toward them. A couple officers followed in suit of him, and judging by the elaborate feather decoration on the peaked cap (one similar to Damon's) the man leading the officers seemed like their sergeant. The officers following them pointed their guns at the two shocktroopers, while the police sergeant looked at them closely.

"Hmm... I don't think the Federation would recruit... older men..." he looked over at Jane, and a small grin creased his face. "And I don't think the Feds allow pretty young ladies to carry guns into war either..." he said, as he observed Coby and Jane respectively. The latter immediately took offense to the sergeant's comment. Her brows furrowed in annoyance, and the police officer took this as indication to back off.

"Hey, pal. I ain't a 'young lady.' I'm a damn shocktrooper for the militia," she hissed. She brandished her large Imperial trophy gun, adorned with several old and weathered scars from previous battles, and notches down the barrel, indicating a number of victims. "Bet mine's bigger than yours. Try calling me a young lady now... I dare ya..."

"Damn it, Jane. This ain't a time to bitch about this. He's on our damn side. We've got some Federation bastards to kill," Coby cut off, making her lowering her weapon. "So, you the head of the police department or something?" The police sergeant looked rather surprised, but soon shrugged it off as soon he was able to compose himself in a more professional manner.

"I see... Well, yes, I am the Chief of Police here in Randgriz. You must be part of the backup from Squad 7. The Randgriz Police Department has made a blockade, but we wouldn't want to tangle with the Feds without your help. Since the war started, we lost most of our best officers and personnel to the draft, and I'm not sure how long we'd last against Federation operatives. That's why I'm glad you two are here. Our job is to wait for reinforcements from your squad, as well as any troops from the royal guard, and be able to take on any resistance."

"Great. So we just wait here until the Feds come rolling in? Don't ya think they'd be... I dunno, smarter than just headed straight toward a blockade?" Jane retorted.

"Huh... That's the first time you ever implied that the Feds had any sort of intelligence, Jane," Coby laughed. "It seems kind of stupid that they'd just ask for a death wish by kidnapping the damn princess of Gallia, of all things."

"Then let's give 'em their wish!" Jane exclaimed in an oddly cheery manner.

The police sergeant still felt a bit unnerved by the two's presence, but judging from their genuine enthusiasm of killing Feds, that seemed to serve as good indication as any that they weren't spies for sure. The officer went at the head of the blockade, scouting out the roads and paths with his binoculars.

* * *

Peter and Claudia made it to their destination. In view, they could both see several Gallian police officers patrolling the entrance to the district. They put up a blockade with a few vehicles and a barbed wire fence. Several officers patrolled the area, each of them nervous and on edge. The pair ran up to join them, and the police welcomed their presence. However, what unnerved Peter was that they didn't bother to check them. Either they noticed the 7 patch on their uniforms, or they simply didn't have the caution or care to see if they were spies. Shrugging it off, Peter and Claudia stood at a position by the blockade's flank.

"Huh... Looks like they were able to get here quicker than us..." Claudia mumbled. "I think the police can handle things from here. I mean, they've got the blockade and guns and everything."

"Hmph... You can't really trust these city polices..." Peter said under his breath. Claudia gave the scout an odd look.

"Well, you're a town watchman aren't you? What's the difference?" she asked. Peter scoffed, almost as if his pride was hurt.

"Police just go by their book, and even the book is half-torn most of the time. They just look at most of the wrong problems, diagnose them incorrectly, and apply all the wrong remedies. Not to mention the corruption. I heard that organized crimes bribe the police here in Randgriz," Peter explained.

"You know, I once heard that Nils was part of one of those gangs... It's sad he's not here right now..." Claudia mentioned. "...So what makes a watchman a watchman?"

"We actually have the town's best interests in mind. We do our part and go above and beyond duty just to help out. You can't bullshit us. We, the citizens, can effectively govern ourselves, and it's one of the things that make Gallia a great country. As citizens, we know what needs and what doesn't need attention and what the hells going on in our community. Being a watchman means you're damn proud of being part of your town. And Bruhl's been one hell of a town," Peter said, almost nostalgic.

Claudia nodded along as she listened to Peter's rant about the good 'ol days, though her mind couldn't help but wander. Her eyes shifted from Peter, towards the blockade. She noticed how tense and nervous each officer was, their hands almost trembling with the guns in their hands. Some of them looked younger than even the average militia recruit. Her eyes wandered towards the night sky, looking at the sea of stars in the distance. Her eyes then drifted back towards the earth, as Claudia looked back at the warehouse district. She eyed the alleyways appearances of them, almost reminiscent of times in Port Water, before the war. As she walked down a lane of her own memories (as Peter still drifted on his) she noticed a peculiar silhouette in the distance. The dark shape came out of an alley, with another following it. The two emerged from the shadows, and the engineer could see that the two were wearing Gallian uniforms. At first glad that the two could be reinforcements to help out, she noticed that each of them wore large and heavy helmets, brought down to cover the top half of their face. She couldn't recognize them, and she feared for the worst. Taking a pair of binoculars from one of her packs, Claudia looked on towards the two approaching figures, each of them heading towards the barricade.

"Uh, Peter... What uniforms did you say were _not _one of ours?" Claudia asked, trying to get a clearer fix on the two, as they advanced with each passing second.

"And while the pay may not be as good as police, we... Wait, what?"

"What uniform is the enemy wearing?" she asked frantically. Peter was shocked at the urgency of Claudia's question, and stammered a bit before calmly answering her question.

"Squad 3. They stole uniforms from Squad 3."

"Uh oh..." she muttered.

Peter noticed what Claudia was looking at. Quickly, he grabbed his own binoculars and saw the two troops walking towards the barricade. Each of them wore Squad 3 uniforms, and were heavily armed with weapons outside of the militia's standard issue. The officers there paid no attention behind them, as they looked forward towards the roads.

"Oh, shit. "

Peter attempted to warn them, however as soon as he saw the Federation operatives aim their weapons at the unsuspecting policemen, he knew it was too late. Peter ducked under a low crudely made wooden wall, abruptly shoving Claudia's head under the barrier with him. As soon as they were out of sight, Peter heard the terrifying sound of machine guns, and the dying screams of the law enforcement. Peter held his rifle tightly in his grasp, while Claudia shivered in her spot.

"W-where are those reinforcements...?" she stuttered.

"I don't know..." Peter said. He slowly reached for his radio, as the gunfire raged on. "T-this is Corporal Rothchild of Squad 7!" he said, in a rather hushed voice. "The blockade here in the northwestern entrance is under attack! Repeat! Under attack! Send backup ASAP!"

Peter put away his radio and peeked over the wall. Several bodies lay on the ground where the officers once stood. Now, instead of merely two Federation operatives, there were five, their guns still smoking from the fight. They talked on their radios, no doubt to their superiors, and marched across the puddles of blood that stained the area. With only a lone scout and engineer, the two militia soldier knew they were outmanned and outgunned.

"Will the squad get here in time?" Claudia asked nervously. Peter paused, before nodding.

"Yeah, they will."

"What do we do until then...?"

"Pray. And hope for a miracle."

* * *

Coby and Jane still sat around the blockade at the eastern entrance of the warehouse district. They were rather annoyed at the lack of Feds to kill and even more annoyed that the rest of the Squad hasn't regrouped yet. The two of them were currently playing around with some cards and betting ducats with each other to kill the time.

"Uh huh... So what was that final battle like? Pushin' the Imps outta Ghirlandio?" Jane asked, as she placed a couple ducats on the crate acting as their table.

"Hmph... Damn hard. I remember it snowing there. Bitter cold... I remember Yoko bitching about some frostbite a while back. The cold also blanketed the Naggiar plains in some areas. It never really snowed like that in Gallia in a helluva long time..." Coby said. In the midst of reminiscing, he glanced at the cards in his hands and placed a few more ducats on the crate.

"Snowing? In Ghirlandio? Damn, sounds like you guys had it in for you... Battlin' Imps, and the cold," Jane replied, as she drew another card from the deck.

"Yeah... A girl in our squad had to get a couple fingers cut off 'cause they were frozen... We had to battle the Imps, the cold... ourselves... Not many people still had the will to battle them, and even less with their sanity. We lost a lot of good men..." Coby muttered. He paused, a few memories of his former squad rushing in, before he drew another card. He was barely remembering he and Jane were actually playing a game.

"Weren't Largo, the captain, and that other sniper... Catherine? Weren't they in your squad too?"

"Heh... Yeah, God must have a sense of humor bringing us all back together..." Coby placed his cards face down and reached in his pocket. He pulled out an old black and white photo, and gave it to Jane.

Jane put down her cards and looked at the photo carefully. She could recognize a few faces from the current squad, including Yoko still wearing that blue bonnet, Largo still wearing the same cheesy grin he likes to put for photos, a very young Catherine with her sniper rifle, and even Captain Varrot, before she was a captain. Jane also noticed Coby, still wearing the headband, albeit with a bit more hair on his head, and hugging an unknown girl who somewhat resembled Alicia.

"Yeah... I was still about... 45 back then? Shit, I was still the old-timer compared to everyone else..." Coby laughed.

"Hmm... Who the hell's that one girl you're hugging around?" Jane asked, as she picked up her cards again.

"Oh, she's... she _was_ my daughter..." Coby mumbled, taking back the photo and looking at his daughter alongside him.

"What happened? The Imps get her?" Jane actually looked somewhat concerned, which was saying a lot, considering it was her.

"Yeah... Some Imperial officer stabbed her... I killed him, and was forced watch my daughter die in my arms before a medic arrived..." Coby said. His face was conflicted, almost angry yet melancholic.

"Don't worry, old man. We'll take out those Imps. Every last one of 'em for what they did to her," Jane proclaimed, patting Coby on the back for encouragement.

"Yeah... every last one..." Coby muttered under his breath. "Anyway... we should really get back to the game..." Coby said, very up for some distraction. Jane nodded and picked up her cards.

"Alright, so what do you have?" Jane asked.

"Pair of Eights. That's all I got."

"Three Queens."

"Oh... you bitch..." Coby laughed. Jane laughed snakily as she took the small ducat pile from the table, and stuffed it down one of her pockets. While pissed off about losing, Coby was already glad he had something to laugh about, in contrast to remembering horrors of EW1.

"So, up for another game?"

"Ah, not sure... didn't have many ducats to start off with..." Coby said, checking his wallet. However, the thought was interrupted as he heard some static coming from his radio. Turning up the volume for Jane to hear, the two shocktroopers heard only some feedback and static. Then, what sounded clearly like rapid gunfire and screams ensued, and the two froze in their seats. The static soon blurred and deafened the screams until it was silent again.

_"Bzzt... T-this is Corporal Rothchild of Squad 7! ...The blockade here in the northwestern entrance is under attack! Repeat! Under attack! Send backup ASAP!" _

The transmission cut off, and Coby and Jane were met up with only static again. Both of them paused for a second, before the latter grabbed her gun resting on the nearby wall. Coby packed up his cards and loaded a some shells into his shotgun. Both of them nodded, and ran off towards the distress. However, as they ran, the officer leading the police noticed the two heading away from the barricade, and quickly shouted to them.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" the police sergeant asked.

"Did you not just hear that radio message? We're going to kill the Feds that's harassing our units over there," Coby explained, though Jane didn't bother stopping to acknowledge the officer. The sergeant cursed, but he didn't attempt to encourage them any further. He let them go on their way.

The two shocktroopers ran, knowing that if an attack was being staged already, the Federation could very well be moving in on that location. The fate of the mission possibly hung in the balance. Jane ran as fast as her legs could go, though despite his fitness for a man of his age, Coby was left trailing behind the sadist, until he had to stop to take a breath of air.

"Damn it, Jane! Wait up... Let me... catch my... breath..." the old soldier huffed. He soon came to a full stop, and Jane was leaving him behind a trail of dust. "Shit... I ain't as fast as I used to be... Damn kids..."

Coby wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood still, just to allow some air to get back into his lungs. After gaining enough strength to walk again, Coby heard the sound of gunfire. Several indistinct shouts and screams were heard soon after. Coby looked over his shoulder and could already see the flashes of guns and even a faint blue light from an explosive off in the distance.

"Oh, fuck... one of these attacks are a distraction... Well, those assholes had to use their brains eventually..."

Coby ran with encouraged vigor, tightly holding the shotgun in his hands as he headed forward. However, he momentarily stopped as he looked over his shoulder, and even his old ears could hear the sounds of Jane's footsteps growing fainter.

"JAAAAANE!" he shouted as loud as he could. However, the sounds of footsteps grew faint, and Coby knew he had to try and settle this himself until the squad reinforcements arrive. "Stubborn bitch..."

The veteran ran back to the barricade, hiding around the corner of a wall. He could still hear some dying moans and screams accompanied by popping successions of a rapid fire weapon. He imagined how horrifying it must be. After all, these were merely law enforcement in a rowdy city. These guys weren't trained soldiers like the Feds that hounded at them. And even though he was just a carpenter most of his life, he still had proper training, and a hardened resolve that war inflicts on its participants. This small skirmish was nothing Coby hadn't faced before. He'd been through worse in the first war. He'd seen tougher odds. This was just a walk in the park.

Coby peered over the corner and saw pools of blood where the police once stood. He saw several men in Gallian uniform with their weapons held high. It was obvious who's country they were really working for. However, he noticed a Federation soldier patrol a little to close for comfort. The Fed almost flinched as he noticed a bald head peering from the corner of his eye, and when he came to investigate, the veteran fought back by firing the shotgun squarely in the man's chest. Coby hid back behind the corner as the other Feds opened fire with a hailstorm of bullets. He pumped the shotgun, releasing the spent shell, and aimed again. After setting sights on a Fed operative that was closing in, Coby pulled the trigger and quickly dispatched him. The cornered vet took several potshots from his position, managing to take out a few of the Federation troops, but he had no idea just how many of these guys were here. Taking a grenade from one of his belt pouches, Coby pulled off the safety, before the trigger string dangled down. Ripping the trigger and tossing the stick grenade around the corner, he saw the blue light resonate against the walls, and the blood that painted them. Wiping the sweat from his head, Coby peered over the corner and saw a several dead bodies, though it was difficult to discern whether or not they were in Gallian Militia uniforms, or the police uniforms, considering the similar blue hue, and the amount of blood which stained and pooled the area. However, Coby was able to recognize that there were more bodies than the actual number of officers that were stationed at the post, so he could assume he extras were ones he killed.

Getting out from his corner, Coby briefly scanned the area. No one was moving, and it was clear that everyone in the area was dead. An almost satisfied smile creased his lips, as he witnessed his carnage.

"Huh... Managed to take out a small team of Feds all by myself. I still got it..." he muttered.

His confidence was shattered as he heard a familiar popping noise, and a sharp, flash of pain in his back. Coby stumbled forward on his knees moaning out in pain. His hand reached towards the sore, and he felt the familiar warm sensation of blood.

"Oh, GOD DAMMIT! MY BACK!" he yelled. Looking over his shoulder, saw a lone Fed trooper crawling along the ground, a pistol in hand. He was severely crippled, and it looked like Coby's grenade blew off a part of his leg. Weakly raising his pistol again, the operative fired, but missed his target.

"Ha! It'll take more than that to bury me!" Coby yelled. He raised to shotgun and fired another blast, silencing the Fed's life. However, the pain in his back was still excruciating, and almost limping, Coby went for cover along a sandbag wall that was propped up by the police and sat down. Occasionally cursing while he fumbled for his ragnaid capsule, the veteran applied the substance to his wounded back. Hissing at how much the ragnaid stung when applied so quickly, he sighed when the pain subsided a bit. Peering his head over the sandbags, Coby saw the coast was clear. He lowered his head back under the wall and loaded more shells into his shotgun. Tending to his back, Coby hesitantly looked over the sandbag wall again, and didn't see anyone else investigating the area.

A familar clicking sound almost made him jump on the spot. Coby turned his head and saw a Federation operative in Gallian uniform pointing a gun at his head. Behind him were two more Federation soldiers. The soldier with the gun loaded his pistol and kept the sight on Coby's head. He was sure this wouldn't really end well in a head on fight with no cover. However, he still felt himself gripping the shotgun tightly. Not wanting to go down without a fight, the veteran quickly shot the Fed in the chest, causing him to stumble back and fall in a small puddle of his own blood. Coby pumped the shotgun and aimed again, however he felt another flash of sharp pain going through his right shoulder. His arm collapsed, not wanting to hold the gun anymore, and one of the Federation ops took out a pistol to finish Coby off.

"Shit... Well, better here than rotting in some old folk's home..." Coby mumbled, as he heard the Fed pull back the hammer. He thought of his accomplishments of the first war, the second, his role to the nation, and the possibility of joining his daughter... He closed his eyes, deep in thought. Maybe he'd finally get to see Cassandra again. The thought gave some sort of hope if he was going to go out on the moment. His contemplations were interrupted by the rapid fire of gunshots.

Seconds passed. "What the hell...?"

Coby knew he was still breathing, and it was evident he hadn't been shot. He opened his eyes to see more blood spattered on the walls, and surprisingly, not his own. One of the Federation troops limped achingly, a dark, almost black stain seeping across the stolen uniform. He saw another person in Gallian uniform approaching, and Coby sighed, knowing some sort of reinforcements finally arrived. What amazed him however, was the large Imperial machine gun being held in the noticeably feminine figure's hands. "... the fuck? Jane?"

The wounded soldier weakly tried raising his rifle, though Jane mercilessly ripped through him with several shots to the torso, undoubtedly causing a lot of overkill. The second Federation trooper, though shocked and pretty much scared shitless, raised his own weapon from behind Jane's back.

"Jane, watch out! Behind you!" Coby shouted. Before the sadist could turn around her head, a single shot echoed throughout the alleyways, and a single round sent a burst of red through the Fed's helmet. Jane didn't even seem one bit disturbed or surprised. In fact, she let out a small laugh before walking over to Coby. Noticing the wounds old man had, she knelt down to his level and pulled out a ragnaid capsule. She applied it to Coby's wound on his shoulder, and though he hissed in pain, Jane took that as a sign he was alright.

"Glad you've still got those brittle bones moving around, old man. I was afraid they'd fucked you up."

"Brittle? Heh... Glad to see you still care, ya stubborn bitch... What the hell took you so long?" Coby said, now feeling the pain in his arm lessen significantly. After he moved his arm around again, Jane helped him up to his feet.

"I met a friend of mine on the way to help out the other outpost. He was on a lead towards some suspicious group in Squad 3 uniforms. We took care of them," Jane explained. "Jeez, why the fuck do people have to take out a pistol and take so damn long to kill ya?"

"Some jackasses like to savor it, or make it more dramatic. Or some crap like that..." another person said. Coby flicked his attention towards a familiar young man with an X shaped scar on his head. "Anyway, after we killed those Feds back there, we tried getting back here as soon as possible,"

"Heh... Private Bierlert... Figures some of our most outspoken Imp haters teamed up, though it's ironic we have to kill Feds now," Coby mused, still a bit shaky. He straightened his back, causing a few audible cracks and a lot of cursing, though Coby was able to regain his composure.

"Yeah, nice shot back there, Oscar. I owe you another," Jane commented, with an unusually friendly pat on the back. Oscar merely nodded, though a hint of pride could be seen in his grin. Coby grunted, and checked his pouches for leftover ammunition.

"So what happens now?" he asked.

"We're getting more forces on the way here. The northwest entrance already received some backup. Plus, the Lieutenant himself is on the way over there. We've been given orders to abandon this sector, because we've got reports that an armored car is heading there towards that specific route. The Feds will think twice before messing with us," Oscar explained.

"Well what the hell are we standing around here for? Let's get moving!" Jane exclaimed.

The trio nodded, and after loading their weapons, they marched off. However, Coby couldn't help but feel that he had yet again cheated what was he thought was a sure death. He faced even more dreadful odds in the first war, especially in the cold trench warfare in Naggiar, and the snowy conflicts of Ghirlandio. To think that he was already having flashbacks of his daughter to the point he almost accepted death. Coby heaved a deep sigh.

"Cassandra... You're gonna have to wait on your old man... I've gotta help defend your home... make sure what happened to you happens to no one else..."

"Old man, you alright?" Jane asked. Snapping out of his thoughts, Coby nodded and proceeded to follow his comrades.

* * *

"Peter, I'm out of ammo!"

"Alicia! Heads up!"

Peter tossed a spare ammo clip towards his fellow watchman, both of whom were stuck in an intense firefight. Since the Bruhler called for backup, a few additional reinforcements helped out Peter and Claudia in the nick of time, lead by none other than Alicia Melchiott. The sergeant loaded her gun and proceeded to continue suppressive fire. First starting with Peter and Claudia, the group added five more people to the team defending the northwestern entrance, and several Federation troops marched to allow Gallia's kidnapped monarch out of the country. Everyone knew what was at stake, and everyone knew that this was one of their most important operations. The Feds had to be stopped at all costs.

Peter constantly shifted his attention from enemy to enemy, as each fell down. He was wondering just how many soldiers the Federation sneaked into Gallia. When he heard that these guys were operatives, he assumed maybe a team of about ten people. He didn't expect what could possibly be an army. How the hell were the Federalists able to stealthily infiltrate in such large numbers without anyone knowing. Someone on the inside for Gallia must've been responsible. But that wasn't the main concern. What _was_, was the parade of marching Feds laying down heavy fire on the militia resistance. The crossfire in the cramped urban environment was much different from the wooded forests of Kloden, or the wide open sands of Barious. Even more dangerous, were enemies on all levels, including operatives firing from windows of nearby buildings. And the fact that they were wearing Gallian uniform gave everyone in Squad 7 pause before they could declare a sure enemy in their sights. As Peter fired and assisted his comrades firing at the enemy, Claudia Mann stayed beneath the cover of the sandbag walls, supplying ammo and taking potshots whenever an enemy fired way too close for comfort. However, the headband-wearing girl noticed someone downed under the sandbags, and a familiar red substance not too far away.

"Oh, god... Man down!" Claudia shouted. Amidst the gunfire, the engineer noticed the man in Gallian uniform was one she recognized. Clutching his side, a familiar young man held his chest, heavily breathing. "Ted! Ted, are you alright!" Claudia asked.

"Ow... ow... I-it ain't so bad! I can still do this!" the jokester remarked. He tried picking up his rifle and aiming over the sandbag walls, though Claudia pulled him back under in the nick of time, as a bullet grazed his windswept hair. Double checking, Ted felt his chest again and felt that he was in fact bleeding. He suddenly coughed a small amount of blood at this realization. "Eh... maybe I ain't so good after all..."

Almost panicking from the blood, Claudia got a hold of herself and carefully administered some ragnaid over his wound, hoping it would suffice for treatment, though the constant crossfire between the two sides of the skirmish proved to be much of a distraction. As she grabbed out a small case of bandages from one of her packs, a dreadfully familiar cyan light illuminated the alleyways.

"Damn it! Grenade!" a squad member shouted.

The ensuing explosion was heard, and Claudia was shocked to see two people knocked off their feet and land on the ground. One of them, a young man with a pair of glasses, managed to get up from the ground, with seemingly little injuries. However, the other was still on the ground, faintly moaning, and barely moving his arms and legs. The young man dashed toward his comrade, violently shaking him to try and get some response.

"Wavy? Wavy, c'mon, you have to get up! Ah, damn it!"

Quickly looking back and forth between Ted, and the unconscious Wavy, Claudia gathered most of her medical tools with her, and attempted to rush over to help the Darcsen man.

"Nancy? Can you look over Ted for me?" the engineer asked. Nancy was left somewhat surprised, and almost tried to stutter something in protest. However, seeing how Ted was injured managed to put a bit of encouragement to look after him. She prayed she wouldn't mess up again. With that settled, Claudia crawled beneath the sandbag walls, hearing gunfire, and almost feeling the bullets cut the air and fly over her head.

"Wavy? Damn it, I fucked up again!"

"Mica, stop blaming everything on yourself. Besides, I'm sure Wavy'll make it," Claudia said, trying to calm the glasses-wearing pessimist. She started working, though she saw a large wound across the Darcsen's chest, bleeding heavily. Almost panicking at the sight of flowing blood, she took out a cloth rag to try and slow down the flow of blood. The white rag quickly was dying red, and it almost made Claudia sick to feel the warm liquid almost seeping past her gloves. She had to cover her mouth in order to stop herself from gagging. Claudia remembered just how squeamish she really was, one of the reasons she never became a medic. She made a gesture for Mica to grab something out of her pack while she tried to operate on Wavy, though the former was much to disturbed and panicked to notice.

"Damn it... Everywhere I go, I end up failing people... I got separated from Dorothy at Kloden... I can't even help people when they're right next to me... Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

"Mica, calm down and grab the suture kit from my pack!" Claudia shouted. Shocked at Claudia's sudden interruption, and even hesitant, Mica came to his senses and grabbed a small case from the backpack engineers often carry. Tossing it to Claudia, he tried focusing on hitting the Feds, but his worry shifted from the Feds shooting, to the fact he failed yet another person in this war.

"I... is there anything I can do? Anything at all?" Mica asked.

"Just keep them off of me while I try to get Wavy patched up!" Claudia responded.

"Oh, uh... Yes, of course..." Mica muttered, aiming his machine gun towards the nearest Fed.

Claudia checked a medical kit for some sort of tweezers; she seemed to have found a bit of shrapnel that was probably responsible for the gash across Wavy's chest. She continually checked his pulse, though the occasional rise and fall from his chest, as well as Wavy coughing or attempting to say something in his unconscious state was an encouraging sign he was still alive. Another explosion occurred nearby, though Claudia couldn't help but release a heavy sigh of relief when she saw no one was hurt. Claudia continued to try and focus on Wavy. She was no medic, but under the circumstances, she was all this team of Squad 7 troops had, at least until an actual medic arrives.

"Hold on, big guy... Just hang in there..."

Peter tossed Alicia another clip as she reloaded. The former was thankful that Claudia had supplied him with some spare ammunition before this full-fledged firefight began. For a team made up of a bunch of scouts, an engineer, and a shocktrooper, Peter thought that they were doing pretty well for themselves. As Peter focused on his targets, the sounds of popping and bangs of gunfire almost seemed rhythmic, not so much becoming an annoyance to him. He leveled it out, focusing whatever came in sight of rifle's irons. However, as he managed to deafen out the distractions, a new rather foreign sound came into play, this one a low humming sound that gradually got louder. Alicia continued firing, and when she ducked under cover, she paused for a second.

"You hear that too?" Peter asked. The fellow Bruhler nodded in response, though she was a bit uneasy. "Sounds like... a motor...?" Peter thought.

Alicia's eyes shot open, as the sound became more evident. The rumbling of a car engine was driving by at high speeds. "The armored car! It's on the way here!" Alicia shouted.

The attention of the team was distracted from what they were doing, as they too heard the car nearing by. "Get ready to fire at its radiators! Remember, the Captain said no grenades!" Peter shouted.

"Remember to try and keep your cool, and get this done! The princess is counting on-"

Alicia's speech was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash. The group looked to see the armored car smash straight through the wooden stockades and barbed wire fences that blocked the entrance, easily breaking through and maintaining full speed.

"Aw, crap..."

Everyone tried to open fire on the armored car's radiator as sped away, though the Feds laying the suppressive fire made things overly difficult to focus. The vehicle's glowing radiator was all that could be seen in the dark, and that too was starting to fade.

Then, trying to scout out the car's position, Alicia looked through a pair of binoculars. "Hey, it's not moving anymore..."

Everyone gave quizzical looks, and were confused. However, the train of thought was interrupted, as an immense blue flash of light lit up the alleys, and everyone ducked under cover, just to avoid blinding themselves. The group felt a powerful tremor, and the light undeniably came from a large explosion. When the blast cleared up, everyone was surprised that they were all in once piece. However, when they peered over the cover, they could see that in the Fed's wake, the operatives were obliterated.

_"Hey, 7's. Sorry if I'm late," _a familiar voice broadcast on the group's radio channel.

"Welkin!" Alicia happily chirped.

_"Yeah, took a while to get ready and move the Eidelweiss here. But you have to hurry, I'm trying to block off the armored car's escape routes! Move while it changes its course!" _

"Yes, sir!" Alicia nodded, putting away her radio. "Alright, 7's. You heard the Lieutenant. It's up to us to save the princess!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the team replied. Gathering their supplies and arms, the group moved out, though Claudia stayed behind still trying to get Wavy up on his feet. She looked up and saw everyone getting up and moving out, and even Ted seemed well enough to go on his own. Peter though, hesitated upon seeing Claudia staying behind.

"You're not coming...?" he simply asked.

"No... This guy needs my help. And I'll need to take him to a real medic for treatment. I won't leave him out here," the engineer replied.

"Oh, alright... Just be careful out here, Claudia. We don't know if any of those Feds are still crawling around here," Peter warned.

"I'll be okay. Thank you, Peter..." She watched the Bruhler nod and run off in suit of his fellow squad members. "So much for saving the princess... At least I can save this guy."

Focusing back on the Darcsen schoolteacher in front of her, Claudia carefully sewed the last stitch in Wavy's wound. Once again, the she was no medic, but Claudia possessed most of the emergency equipment for almost any situation, including treating the wounded. As Wavy twitched a bit, and even tossed his head almost regaining conscious, the engineer was almost overjoyed that he seemed to be waking up. Unfortunately, Wavy fell limp again, but his chest steadily rose and fell as usual.

"Well... I guess I'm on a role with this whole healing thing... I haven't killed anyone yet, so that's good..." Claudia laughed. She tried to lift Wavy off the ground, though it was difficult to get him in a position without the risk of opening his new stitches, and on top of that, he weighed much more than Claudia did.

"Need a hand there?"

Claudia almost jumped on the spot, though in her shock, dropped Wavy, causing him to knock his head on the pavement. He groaned slightly, though he remained unconscious and was able to do nothing about it. Claudia almost felt herself fumbling for a weapon as she turned around, only to find a familiar blonde-haired girl standing before her, with green eyes and a blue hair band. She was also carrying a stretcher. Embarrassed, Claudia briefly looked at Wavy on the ground, then back at the medic.

"Uh... just my luck..."

The medic only smiled, as she lowered the stretcher and lifted Wavy from the ground. Motioning for Claudia to help her, the two were able to hoist Wavy up and lay him on the stretcher, where each girl grabbed an end and picked him up.

"Looks like you were able to handle things before I arrived," the blonde commented, looking at the stitches, as well as the spent ragnaid capsules not too far away.

"Well thank you, um... Which one are you again...?" Claudia asked, once again feeling somewhat foolish.

"Oh, it's Fina... It's alright, nobody seems to get that sort of thing right. I don't blame anyone," Fina replied. The two walked off with toward they Fort Amatrain, hoping to send Wavy to the infirmary to properly heal anyone who needed it. "You seem to be decent in medicine... Kinda makes my job easier," Fina continued.

"Well, yeah... but I'm no medic... I'm just an engineer. With my luck, I wouldn't last long in medicine..."

"What's the matter? If you were able to get this man healed, I'm sure you could make a good medic with some training."

Claudia stayed silent for a bit, before managing to stammer out an answer. "Well, I wanted to be a nurse... But I failed the exam three times already, all of them for stupid reasons..." she trailed off, almost hiding a remorseful tone. "First I studied for the wrong section of the test, then failed miserably... second time I turned in the medical exam in the wrong basket..."

"And the third...?" Fina asked, though she regretted doing so, considering she felt like she was prying.

"I... forgot to put my name on the exam..." Claudia said, with an embarrassed laugh. "But I guess it's alright in the end... Maybe it's just a sign or something. Besides, I'm a little squeamish... Lots of blood kinda scares me," she continued, in a somewhat more upbeat tone.

"Maybe you should consider going back to nursing. We all get bad luck now and then. But maybe it's just a speed bump in the much bigger road ahead," Fina encouraged.

"I think I'm fine for now. Besides, being an engineer has been kinda good to me. I used to fix stuff up back home. I needed the money, but over time being a mechanic is surprisingly safe for me. I got used to it. Sure, I accidentally break something, or burn my hand, but it's what I've been doing for a while. Maybe that's just what I should be doing in the next few years. I've always tended to stick to what I could do best. Bad luck can put a couple dents in branching out to other things..." Claudia explained. Fina noted how the engineer spoke, almost melancholic. The medic wasn't entirely convinced.

"Mmmhmm... I think you can be better than this, Miss... um..."

"Oh, right... I never introduced myself. My name's Claudia. Claudia Mann. I'd shake your hand, but it appears both of ours are a bit occupied at the moment," she said, looking down at Wavy still in the stretcher, whom both girls were still carrying. He looked considerably less tense than he did a few minutes ago.

"Well, Claudia. I think you can do better than that..." Fina resumed. The pair stopped at an intersection in the alleyways. "Do you know where the base is from here?" Fina asked.

"Umm... Let's see..." Claudia stammered. Carefully attempting to balance her end of the stretcher with one arm and her knees, she pulled out a compass, in an attempt to get her bearings. It didn't help that she forgot which was the nearest Militia outpost. She simply hoped going north would lead the way. "Let's go this way," she proclaimed, pointing down one of the roads in the intersection. A complete guess, Claudia knew that it probably wouldn't lead very far. Sure enough, it wasn't too long before the pair were facing a dead-end.

"Guess I went the wrong way..." Claudia sighed.

"This wasn't too different from your life," Fina said, surprising her friend. "You saw the turn, but not the road that lies ahead."

"... Oh, I get it. Clever," the luckless girl replied. "Maybe I'll consider what you said. For now, at least until this war is over, I'm staying as an engie."

"Well, that's a start I suppose..."

Claudia merely shrugged and gave a slight chuckle, though she still couldn't help but wonder why Fina would care about that sort of thing. Saving the thought for a later time, the engineer turned around with Fina and carried Wavy off to find a nearby medical center or military outpost.

* * *

Coby, Jane, and Oscar rushed to the combat area, after hearing a report from a recent radio call. Evidently, the armored vehicle was spotted and all units had to get to area as soon as possible, before the car could get to the harbor and make its getaway. The trio managed to run into some Feds along the way, though the more they encountered them, the more the group realized that their numbers waned. The enemy was finally running out of troops to throw at them. With the way cleared forward for the squad to save the princess, everyone rushed to the area and stop the Federation.

As the trio managed to get very close to the area, they could hear the commotion and chatter from other Squad 7 forces.

"Looks like we found everyone. What the hell took them so long?" Coby mused.

"Who cares. We're here. That armored car's trapped somewhere. Let's kick those Feds' asses!" Oscar exclaimed.

Jane gave the sniper a good pat on the back, and laughed in agreement. As they progressed, they could hear the sound of gunfire, and the rapid fire was not the standard of militia arms. Leading the way, Coby walked off, until he saw several Squad 7 troops firing at a blue armored car. A gunner with a large fixed machine gun was firing back at them, as the vehicle was gaining speed and making its getaway; headed right towards Coby's group. The veteran smiled triumphantly, knowing that if the squad already cornered these guys, the mission is already as good as done. The fact the car was rolling straight toward them didn't phase him.

"Oscar, take out their gunner. When he's out of the way, we can all focus on being big goddamn heroes!" Coby shouted.

Oscar looked all too enthusiastic at the his order, and looked through the scope of his sniper rifle. However, something he overlooked what the speed of the vehicle. The armored car was getting increasingly closer, and from the scope, it looked like the Fed was right in front of him. Oscar found it hard to focus on the speeding target, though he tried to steady his aim. Holding his breath for one more shot, he fired the sniper rifle. A small bloody rip in the uniform could be seen on the shoulder.

"Damn it! I missed!"

While injured, the gunner didn't let go of the triggers on the machine gun. Swiveling the turret, the operative focused his attention to the few troops looking to ambush him. In a state of panic, Oscar, Coby, and Jane opened fire with their weapons, the latter two hoping that their rapid fire weapons would possibly make a lucky kill. Trying to think quickly, Jane pulled out a grenade, and eagerly ripped off the safety and was about to pull the trigger string.

"What the hell are you doing? Varrot strictly said no explosives!" Coby argued, grabbing the sadist's arm before she could pull the string.

"I ain't gonna kill the princess, old man. I'm just gonna blow the treads off that thing! One grenade ain't gonna blow the whole fucking car in one shot!" Jane retorted, brushing off Coby's grasp.

"What if hits the radiator!"

"Quit your blubbering, old man..." Jane muttered. With that, she pulled the trigger string and armed the grenade. The car was speeding by, and seconds away from passing the group. Jane threw the grenade, and as it sped by, it ignited in a cyan light, rocking the vehicle. However, the armored car was still speeding, sparks flying where it traveled. The gunner manning the turret turned around and aimed at the group one last time before it made its getaway. "Ah, shit."

As the machine gun let out the sound of a buzzsaw as it fired, Coby and Oscar dashed to the side, hoping to dodge the hailstorm of bullets. However, Jane wasn't fast enough, and she felt several quick flashes of pain pass through her body, before her chest began to feel numb. As the gunner stopped firing, Jane was left on her knees, shocked and stupefied. She fell forward, coughing blood.

"Damn it... of all the things to get killed by... I get killed by a god damn Fed..."

"Jane!" Oscar and Coby simultaneously shouted. Oscar tried grabbing some ragnaid from his pocket, though Jane looked to be suffering several shots around her stomach.

"Shit... shit! Man down!" Coby yelled as loud as he could. This prompted a punch in the chest from Jane, though she retracted her arm, still very weak.

"I... I ain't a man, you old prick!" Jane yelled.

"Well shit, Jane. You've got more balls than most of 'em do," Coby joked, though it was obvious his humor wasn't appreciated. Coby checked his own pockets for some ragnaid, but was distraught when he realized he had used all of his up back when he was wounded and the two Imp haters saved him.

Oscar was fruitlessly trying to help Jane, though even with the capsule's limiter removed, it didn't help a lot. "Damn it! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!"

The sniper ditched his empty ragnaid capsule and grabbed his rifle from the ground. Even though the armored vehicle was a considerable distance away, the speed of it was much slower, no doubt due to Jane's risky but effective tactic. Aiming the scope on the Federation's machine gunner, Oscar steadied the center of his crosshair on the dull blue helmet and fired. A spray of blood came out, as the gunner's body limply fell back inside of the car. Satisfied, Oscar looked back and saw Jane attempting to get up on her own strength, though Coby's efforts to assist her were met with chastising that she was fine. After she was able to get up on her feet, she ended up collapsing again, with little strength left in her.

"Ugh... damn it... I can't die... I've still got Imps to kill..."

Coby was frustrated, and while Jane's will to live was almost unrivaled, he feared that wouldn't be enough to save her. "MEDIC!"

A few small faint sounds of footsteps could be heard nearby, and while Coby brooded over Jane's body, Oscar noticed two familiar young women, one a blonde and the other a black-haired girl with a red headband. They both were carrying a Darcsen man in a stretcher. Oscar was almost overjoyed at their fortuitous arrival, and tapped Coby on the shoulder to tell them that a medic arrived. Both girls eyes were wide in surprise, almost shocked even when they looked at a broken and bloodied Jane. Coby looked up, and while he was glad help conveniently arrived, he wasn't appreciative of their hesitancy.

"What the hell are you two waiting for? Get your asses over here and help her out!" Coby yelled.

Both girls almost jumped, though they each laid down the stretcher carefully, and rushed towards Jane, the blonde girl carrying a first-aid kit. Coby got out of the way as the medic pulled out a small syringe and injected it into Jane's arm.

"Ugh... My work's never done around here..." Fina whined, though it was obviously just joking.

"Alright, Fina. Just tell me what I can do to help, and we can try and save her," Claudia encouraged, grabbing her own medical equipment.

The two opened up Jane's uniform, and started to try and operate in the field. Coby and Oscar were left to anxiously watch the whole thing, and hoped for the best.

* * *

The armored car continued to try and speed by its Gallian aggressors, though the recent explosion left one of its set of treads broken severely, to the point of it slowing down considerably.

"C'mon, guys! We can do this! The car's right around the corner!"

Peter attempted to rally the group alongside him, as they followed a trail of skid marks and flying sparks, until they were able to follow the armored car very closely. Peter rushed alongside Alicia, who lead the way for their fellow 7's to save the day.

They saw the armored car reach the entrance to the harbor, and when it seemed close to getting away, the large rumbling of the Eidelweiss came forward, blocking the way to the Feds' escape. Cheering as they saw the commander's instantly recognizable tank, each of the 7's raised their weapons and aimed at the glowing blue fixation at the end of the car. Alicia raised her hand in the air, signaling everyone to aim at the car's radiator, and when she brought down her arm, everyone opened fire. After many sparks and bright flashes, the blue machine ceased to glow, and the rumbling sound of the armored car's engine came to a grinding halt.

Welkin could be seen popping his head out from the cupola, congratulating his team on a job well done. While some members of the squad jumped around in joy at their victory over the Feds, several others, including Peter, stood aiming their weapons at the doors. Patiently waiting, one of the metal doors on the vehicle creaked open. Two men in Gallian uniforms, as well as an aged man in a clean white suit stepped out, their hands raised over their heads. Peter kept his sights focused on the man in the fancy suit, presumably the Federation ambassador Susie mention that morning. He was extremely tempted to fire the trigger, though when he saw Alicia step in front of most of the team's line of sight, everyone lowered their weapons.

"Ted! Nancy! Mica!" Alicia shouted. Each of the three rushed forward and stood at attention to their sergeant. "I want the three of you to escort these men to the nearest police station. The law enforcement and government can decide what to do with these men," she ordered.

The three saluted and each of them pressed the end of their rifles towards the backs of remaining Feds, still walking with their hands over their heads. Peter walked towards the man in the suit, their supposed leader. The aged man had a look of nobility, and while he looked like he resigned to defeat, an almost smug look couldn't be wiped off his face.

"Why the hell'd you do it?" Peter bluntly asked.

The ambassador looked quizzically at Peter. "Pardon?"

"Why'd you kidnap our Princess? The way we see it, you're not exactly better than the Empire," Peter said, his agitation barely contained. The ambassador frowned, though kept a confident look on his face.

"Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to achieve: Peace and Brotherhood for all of Europa," he explained. Peter wasn't convinced, but he continued on. "However, I can already see Gallia doesn't need the assistance of our Federation. A pity really, but I can see that this principality already has a mighty vanguard to defend it."

"Yeah, too bad that 'mighty vanguard' just foiled your plans," Peter said, almost mockingly.

"Indeed. Too bad, indeed... Still, it is not easy, but I know when I must accept defeat. Your brothers and kin have done well here. If only we were so unified, we could defeat the Imperials on our front..." the ambassador trailed off, somewhat musing of his own government.

"Uh, Peter, we gotta break this up here. I need to get this guy to the nearest station, ASAP. So, if you'll excuse me..." Nancy interrupted. Peter nodded as the girl escorted the Federation ambassador out of the area.

Peter almost didn't blame him. He didn't agree with his views, and his methods were extreme, though the intentions were right, however warped his fanatical mind created them. Still, he was responsible for the deaths of many Gallians, and he wouldn't hesitate to shoot the guy on the spot. The ambassador gave one last glance at Peter, before nodding almost approvingly.

"At least he had the right intentions... not the way I would have made a treaty with Gallia though..." a feminine voice mention. Peter turned around noticed his friend, Susie, standing with a radio pack. A pair of rather clunky headphones rested over her head, which she readily took off. A smile made its way on both of the childhood friends.

"Susie!" Peter exclaimed, opening his arms to hug her. "Where have you been this past battle? And what's with the radio equipment?"

"Oh, this? I've just been out scouting positions and sending coordinates for battles. I've been trying to tell people every major conflict in the area. As for why I wasn't in battle... I guess you can answer that yourself..." Susie mentioned with a shrug.

"Hehe... Same old Susie," Peter laughed, playfully putting an arm around her. "So do you still think this whole Federation/Gallia peace thing is still such a good idea?"

Susie paused, wearing a similar unsure expression as she did earlier that morning. "Like I said... not how I would have brokered peace... But that's politics, I suppose. Still, I'm glad Princess Cordelia is safe."

Peter looked around and saw a woman with an elaborate gown and headdress, no doubt the Princess herself. She seemed to have a conversation with the higher-ups of Squad 7, namely Welkin and Alicia. Peter noted how deeply affected the princess felt from whatever Welkin was talking about. After saying some goodbyes, Welkin escorted Cordelia out of the area, and Alicia was left almost dumbfounded. She wore an almost surprised and gleeful smile on her face. Curious as to what happened, Peter and Susie walked over to Alicia, who was still smiling with joy.

"Alicia, you were able to speak to Her Highness herself...? W-what an honor..." Susie said, and while she generally looked happy for her, Peter was able to note a rather uncharacteristic expression on her face: jealousy.

"So, what did you all talk about?" Peter asked.

Snapping out of her almost trance-like happiness, Alicia noticed her two fellow Bruhlers and calmed herself down. "Well, it just now struck me that that was the _Princess of Gallia_ I was just talking to... but she seemed... conflicted. Unsure of herself. Welkin gave another philosophical thing about human nature, comparing to animals, and life, yet he can have such a way with words... The princess was affected by him..." she began. However, her smile she wore before quickly found its way back on her face. "But most of all, the Princess tried one of my cinnamon rolls and she _loved it_! I mean, she has royal cooks and bakers, and I'm just some country girl, and she actually _liked it_!"

"Well, Alicia. Noce did always say that your breads are taste that sends you straight to heaven... Bit of poetic exaggeration on his part, but not far from the truth," Peter commented. "And it's no question why the Princess would... Wait... Why the hell do you even carry cinnamon rolls with you in the middle of a battle?"

"Oh, uh... that..." Alicia stuttered embarrassingly. "Well, I understand that the people who make the military rations worked hard on them, but... I mean, you have to agree that they aren't the best thing to eat, so I just go ahead and bring my own food..."

"Sounds like self-pride, if you ask me," Peter joked, though when Alicia raised an almost annoyed brow, he quickly wiped the smirk off of his face. "So, what happens now that this is all over?"

"I want a rest... It has been a long night if you ask me..." Alicia replied, stretching her arms and yawning.

"Yes, rest would be very welcomed," Susie agreed.

"Going to bed already? C'mon, someone told me to live a little earlier. Let's go; I want to see if people are going to resume that 'ball' thing in our quarter of Fort Amatrain," Peter exclaimed, not a hint of grogginess in him.

"I'd rather not... Tomorrow's that time of week again, remember? Scout training. And I don't think Sergeant Rodriguez is going to appreciate a half-groggy scout doing the exercises tomorrow," Alicia retorted.

"Well, maybe I'm tired now..." Peter quickly said, walking ahead of the two Bruhler girls and heading back towards Fort Amatrain. Both of the girls laughed briefly, before deciding to follow in Peter's suit to get some well deserved rest. After all, saving the Princess of Gallia did have its strenuous and unforgiving perks about it.

* * *

**YES! I Feel so accomplished right now. As you can see, much bigger chapter length, and a bit of change in the writing style. I drifted away from Peter's perspective quite a few times, just to add variety and more depth to characters. And while it's odd seeing some relationships, I kinda like to play on how squad members know each other, even if they're not on each others "likes" list. Camaraderie can so much farther than who you own personal friends are. But reiterating the different perspectives each writer sees characters can be very interesting. I also hope I made some of those aspects, as well as other unrelated aspects in this chapter believable. Anyway, I hope this chapter was able to make up for the long wait. I look forward to see what all of you think of this chapter, and I'll begin writing the next chapter shortly. **

**~Mr. Wang  
**


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